Regarding Parker
by Meegs82
Summary: The sequel to 25 Simple Words. Lots of angst and maybe some fluff as well! You'll just have to read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Yes, I realize that, but how did he just disappear? Kids don't just go poof!" Booth shouted into his phone.

He and Brennan were sitting in seats 13A and 13B (not the lucky row), waiting on the tarmac for the remaining 2 planes in front of them to take off. It was now nearly 3:45 and they still hadn't left. At this rate, they could have kept their 4:17 flight.

Booth had gotten in touch with Cullen immediately, who informed Booth that Parker had disappeared from the carousel at his favorite amusement park around 12 noon D.C. time, nearly 7 hours earlier. He had been there with his nanny as Rebecca and Drew were both at work and with Parker out of school for the summer, he loved to go to the park.

Brennan's mind was racing and she didn't know what to do for Booth. Booth's shock had worn off approximately 2 minutes after it had begun and from there, he had moved on to sheer rage. Brennan's heart was breaking for him, but all she could do was be supportive. She had called Angela and told her and the team what had happened. Brennan sent Zack over to the park to collect any evidence that he possibly could to help find Parker faster. Zack had reminded her that he wasn't "dealing with a body," and he didn't know what he could do. Brennan promptly snapped at him and told him to do his job.

Everyone was doing their jobs, but the one man who should be there on top of it all was sitting on a plane in the middle of the desert, unable to move because excessive heat had overheated some of the planes. Brennan could not help but feel guilty. He was there because of HER. If he hadn't come out there, maybe Parker wouldn't have gone to the park; maybe Parker would have been with his dad, safe and sound. Brennan watched Booth as he continued to shout into his phone. Who he was talking to at this point, she didn't even know.

"I expect to be FULLY involved when I get back to D.C. I don't care if you have to-"

"Excuse me, sir. You have to turn your phone off. We're getting ready to take off," a brunette flight attendant with a bun informed Booth.

Booth turned his head toward the woman, his eyes fixated on her, his lips tightened. The woman flinched and swallowed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but-"

"He'll be off before we take off, I can assure you," Brennan cut in, saving the woman from a likely verbal beating.

She nodded at Brennan and turned on her heel.

Brennan looked at Booth, sympathetically.

"Look, you can't tell me I'm too close to this case. HE'S MY SON!!!" Booth bellowed into the phone. Heads turned and nearly everyone in the plane was now looking over at Booth and Brennan, whispering. "Yeah, you do that…and fast."

Booth slammed his phone shut, gripping it tightly as his knuckles turned white.

The flight attendant returned. "Sir, is there a problem?" she asked, condescendingly.

"Yes, there is. My son has been kidnapped and I'm trying to get home to find him and I'm stuck on a plane in the middle of the desert and you keep asking me questions. So, I'd say there's a huge problem," Booth told the woman, glaring at her, unflinching.

Brennan sighed and leaned forward. "If you could just give us some privacy. I apologize for the yelling," Brennan told her.

The flight attendant nodded her head and gave Booth a sympathetic look before sheepishly walking away.

Booth swiped his hand across his face, leaning back into the seat, his fist still tightly clenched around his phone, which was still turned on.

"Booth, here, hand me your phone," Brennan said as calmly as she possibly could.

Without looking at her, he relinquished the phone. She took it and turned it off, slipping it into her purse. She glanced back over at him. She wanted to cry for him, but she couldn't.

"Maybe they'll know more by the time we get home," Brennan offered, trying to stay positive.

"Yeah," Booth replied without really listening.

"Booth, I have no idea what you're going through right now, but you know I want to help in any way I can. You have to let me in here. I know that you're angry right now and that's completely normal in this phase of a kidnapping situation-"

"He's my son!" Booth yelled at Brennan.

Brennan's eyes flinched and she leaned back toward the window. She hadn't even realized how her words must have sounded to him. She was simply thinking of the thought process one goes through in this type of situation. But this was Booth…the man she loved. This wasn't a normal kidnapping situation…this was Parker. And she was a part of it.

"I'm sorry," Brennan said, closing her eyes for a moment and then reopening them. "I didn't mean to be insensitive."

Booth turned away from her and rested his head against the seat. He closed his eyes and after a few moments, he turned back towards Brennan. "I know you're not being insensitive. I'm…just-" Booth tried to find the words for what he was feeling, but there weren't any.

"I know," Brennan said as she put her hand on his. "We're in this together…as always," she told him.

Booth sighed and looked over at her. "Thank you," he said as he gave her hand a squeeze.

"You don't have to thank me, Booth. It's what we do, right? We'll find him," Brennan said.

Booth nodded. This is going to be the longest flight of my life


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

It WAS the longest flight of his life. The plane landed at midnight in Washington, D.C. Brennan had already arranged for their luggage to be transported to the Jeffersonian so they wouldn't have to wait at baggage claim. As soon as the plane had landed, Booth was on his cell phone to Cullen and Brennan was on her phone to Angela. Zack hadn't found anything at the crime scene. There were no new leads from Cullen. Nobody had gotten anywhere in the past 5 hours and this fact was pissing Booth off.

"Dammit!" Booth shouted as he slammed a hand on Brennan's Mercedes door. Normally, he would be antagonizing her for leaving her Mercedes in long term parking, but today was anything but normal.

"Did you have the case transferred over to you?" Brennan asked him.

"Cullen won't do it. He says I'm too close," Booth replied through gritted teeth as he climbed in the passenger seat.

"Well, you kind of are…too close," Brennan tried to inform him.

He glared over at her. "You of all people should know how hard-"

"I know it's hard. All I'm saying is that there's a reason family members aren't supposed to be involved in an investigation. All of the details could impair your judgment because of your relationship to the victim-" Brennan stopped herself, unable to believe what she had just said. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Booth's eyes fell upon her, a vacant glare resting in them. After a few moments of horrific silence, Brennan opened her eyes and made herself look at him.

"I'm not being a very good girlfriend, am I?" she asked, a quiver in her voice, her brow furrowed. "Booth, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to any of this couple stuff anyway and now with everything…" her voice trailed off and she looked away again.

Booth held his gaze, but his expression softened. "Bones, I know. It's okay, alright? Just knowing that you're helping makes me feel better," he reassured her.

She looked back over at him, her eyes teary. "You shouldn't be soothing me, I should be soothing you. I can't even do that," Brennan said as she wiped her eyes. After a moment, she shifted her attitude toward one of action. "Where to first? The Jeffersonian?" she asked Booth.

"I think that's the best place to be right now since I can't do anything at the FBI," Booth replied.

"Alright," she responded as she backed her car out of the parking space and floored it out of the parking lot.

Brennan must have been going 25 miles over the speed limit because they reached the Jeffersonian in record time. Angela was waiting for them when they walked in.

"Sweetie, hi," she said as she gave Brennan a hug. She had planned on having champagne and caviar and a huge smile plastered on her face upon their arrival. She had never planned on this. "Booth, I'm so sorry," she said, giving Booth a hug as well.

"Thanks, Angela," he said as he started to pull out of her hug. Angela didn't budge. Booth placed his hands back around her and she squeezed. He tried again to pull out of her hug…and again, he failed.

"Ang, why don't we give Booth some space," Brennan said, grabbing Angela's arm and practically ungluing it from Booth's body.

Angela's face was splotched with tears. "Right, space. Sorry," Angela replied.

"Zack didn't find anything?" Brennan asked Angela.

"No. Your nanny said that Parker didn't have anything with him; she had just brought him, knowing that Drew would pick him up at the park. She's in really bad shape, she keeps blaming herself," Angela told Booth and Brennan as they walked towards Brennan's office.

"Yeah, Cullen told me she was taking it pretty hard. Are they still holding her? I can't believe I have to get my information from a squint," Booth said, irritated, as he stopped and rubbed his forehead.

"They're shutting you out, huh?" Angela said, ignoring the squint comment.

"Yeah, pretty much. But they don't even have anything. How can they not have ANY evidence?" Booth asked aloud. "Why isn't there a ransom note or something? Huh? This doesn't make any sense! People don't just take kids, they have a reason for it. If the guy wants money, he'll get money!" Booth yelled as they reached Brennan's office. He threw his hands on top of his head and began pacing Brennan's office.

Brennan held back from saying the most rational comment about the situation (which was if at this point there was no ransom note, the likelihood of the child being alive was not good). She shoved the thought from her mind and instead, she stepped towards Booth and placed her hands on his elbows, which were in the air above his head.

"Can you stop pacing and sit down?" Brennan asked him, calmly. He immediately stopped walking and dropped his hands. "You need to call Rebecca," Brennan reminded him.

"Rebecca, right. I don't have anything to tell her because the FBI won't let me know about my own son's kidnapping!" Booth exclaimed.

"I know, but she needs to know that you're home," Brennan reasoned with him.

He nodded and stepped away, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

Angela watched this interaction with great interest.

"Wow, he actually listened to your reasoning. And your rationale actually helped the situation. What did sex do to you?" Angela said, quite impressed.

"Ang! This is really serious," Brennan reminded her best friend.

"Trust me, sweetie, I had hoped to be discussing all of the naughty, dirty details right now instead of figuring out how to catch Parker's kidnapper. All I meant was that you two really seem in sync and I thought it was sweet. I can tell you're glowing even under the circumstances," Angela replied.

Brennan looked intently at her friend. "I am happy. It was amazing, Ang. But…I just can't believe all of this. I don't know what to do for him. I feel so helpless," Brennan confided.

"Sweetie, you don't have to DO anything. Just be there and try not to be too…logical. Which you're doing a very good job of, by the way," Angela commended Brennan.

"Thanks. It's only because I already messed up a few times. I referred to Parker as the victim. I'm telling you, Ang, I wanted to die after I said that," Brennan said.

"He understands. He's Booth and you're you," Angela told her.

Booth returned from the other part of the office. "They just got back a little while ago from FBI headquarters. We'll meet up with them in the morning," Booth explained.

"Well, I better be getting home. I MADE Jack go home an hour ago. I told him there wasn't anything he could do. He told me to tell you he'll do anything you need him to…including breaking any and every law," Angela told Booth.

"Tell him thanks," Booth said.

"I'll see you two early in the morning," Angela hugged Brennan and kissed Booth on the cheek.

"Bye, Ang," Brennan waved to her.

Booth fell into the sofa as soon as Angela left. Brennan took her place next to him.

"I can't believe I'm sitting here doing nothing," Booth said, staring into the air above him.

"There's nothing you can do, Booth," Brennan informed him.

"I know, but there should be, you know?" he looked over at her, his head resting on the back of the couch. "That's what I do. I do things. I make things happen, I find the bad guys. Right now, I can't even think of what to do," he explained.

"We," Brennan said.

"What?" Booth asked.

"We do things. We make things happen and we find the bad guys. And we will find the bad guys," Brennan told him as she took his hand. "We'll find Parker."

Booth gave a half-smile. "Right. We," he said. Brennan ran a hand through his hair, her heart breaking because she didn't know what to do either.

"Your place or mine?" Brennan broke the silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was beating against the windows and the wind was howling. The weather fit the mood perfectly. If there was ever a bigger cliché, Brennan wouldn't have known it. She lay awake in her bed, the shadows of the blinds falling across her face and the beads of the rain trickling down. She turned over on her left side and stared at Booth. By 3am, she had finally convinced him to take a rather large sleeping pill after much reluctance on his part. He had told her he was too wound up to sleep even with a sleeping pill and that it was useless. But about 15 minutes after he had swallowed that white pill, he was out. He hadn't even had time to take his clothes off before crashing on Brennan's bed. She had managed to take his socks and pants off and get him under the covers before crawling in next to him.

It was now 5:42 and Brennan hadn't slept at all. She was going over scenarios in her head about who could possibly have Parker and why. She had been through every logical kidnapping scenario, but there had been no ransom note left and that was the most common situation. She kept telling herself to give it time, but what if they didn't have time? None of this made sense; none of it was rational…and her mind could not handle that.

She watched him breathing. Every 30 seconds or so, his brow would furrow and his eyes would squeeze tighter, telling Brennan he was most likely not sleeping very well…but at least he was sleeping. He was going to need it. Brennan knew that she wouldn't sleep, but she was used to that. All she wanted was to take his pain away. She couldn't even imagine what he was feeling, although right now, she figured it was mostly anger. He was using rage to cover his anguish, which was a common anthropological defense system. She thought about Parker and how scared he must be at this very moment. Try not to think about that she rationalized with herself.

Brennan sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She lay in the same position, unmoving for a while until she heard sounds coming from Booth. She turned to him and placed her hand on his head, trying to calm him down. He was now shifting in bed, his brow completely furrowed, groans emitting from his mouth. A split second later, he shot up in bed.

"Parker!" Booth cried out. He was breathing rapidly and sweat was dripping down his face.

Brennan was right by his side. "Booth, it's okay. Hey, it's okay," she told him calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Still nearly hyperventilating, Booth turned to look at her. It took him a few moments to get reoriented and he remembered he was in Brennan's apartment and he had taken a sleeping pill. His mouth was parched and he swallowed hard.

"I've got to do something. I can't just sleep," Booth said as he started to get out of bed.

"Booth, there's nothing to do right now. Just lie back with me, come on," Brennan tried to reason with him as she gently pressed on his upper torso.

"What time is it?" Booth asked.

"Not quite 6. I was going to wake you soon, but I wanted you to sleep as long as possible," Brennan told him.

"I can't sleep while he's got him! We have to find him. He's got Parker," Booth said through tear-filled eyes, pleading to Brennan. "We have to get to him and bring him home."

Brennan's own eyes filled with tears. "I know this is hard, Booth. But…hey, look at me," Brennan said calmly as she placed her hands on either side of his face and turned his head towards hers. "You know I'm right here next to you through all of this, right? I want to be involved in every part of this. We'll bring Parker home, okay?" Brennan told him in the calmest and most soothing tone she could muster to keep him from breaking down.

Booth stared into her eyes, fighting back the tears. He placed his right hand on top of hers and took it and kissed her palm. "I know. I don't know if I could get through this without you," he told her.

A tear fell from Brennan's eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll make some coffee while you take a shower. And then we can go get your car."

"I want to head over to the Hoover building and talk to Cullen. He said he'd let me know the details," Booth said as he got out of bed.

"Can't he get fired for that?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah, he can," Booth said plainly.

Brennan nodded slightly as she put her robe on. "Coffee and shower," she said.

She kissed him on the cheek as she walked out of the bedroom, leaving him standing there for a moment, staring down at his Daffy Duck boxers, wondering where his pants had gone.

Brennan arrived at the Jeffersonian just after 7:00. She had dropped Booth off at his car and he had headed for FBI headquarters. Rebecca and Drew were going to meet him there at 8:00 and Brennan didn't want to be in the way, so she thought it would be best if she went into work early.

The only other people at the Jeffersonian this early were security guards. She flipped on the lights as she walked into the lab and headed for her office. As she approached the office, she saw a fairly large, padded envelope taped to her door. She squinted at it, her brow furrowed. In large black letters, it read:

ATTN: Dr. Temperance Brennan

Regarding Parker Booth

She tore it off of the door and went to her desk, ripping it open as she walked. As she sat in her chair, she pulled out a packet of paper and a small digital voice recorder. She set the recorder down and began to read the top piece of paper. It was typed and read:

"Dearest Dr. Brennan,

By now you are home from your sunny desert vacation and are aware of the situation regarding Parker Booth. VERY well aware, I am sure. I have him with me as I write this. Not to worry, he is quite alright…for now. He will stay that way as long as you comply with my requests. Now, I know that you will show this letter to Special Agent Seeley Booth immediately, so I am not even going to ask you not to. But seeing how Agent Booth has been taken off of his son's kidnapping case, I must demand that you not share this letter with the FBI. If you do, I will know about it. If you try to trace this letter or find out how it got on your office door, I will know. So, I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Trust me, you do not want to experience the consequences. I also expect that the other members of your team will be in on this as well. As far as the mother and stepfather go, tell them what you will. I cannot stop you from sharing with them, but if ANY one of you goes to the FBI with this…Parker Booth will not make it back home. I hope I have made myself clear.

I have included pictures of Miss Montenegro, Dr. Hodgins, Dr. Saroyan, and Dr. Addy just so you know that I know who they are and what they look like.

Now, as I mentioned above, I have certain requests for you. Yes, that's right, Dr. Brennan, these requests are for you and you alone. You may be asking yourself right now why I would take your boyfriend's son and then demand things of you. It's quite simple, really. I want to see you suffer. That's all. The details of my first request are written below:

6:00 tonight, you will come to the corner of Washington and 72nd with exactly $25,000 in cash. The money must be withdrawn at 12:00 noon from your bank account, Dr. Brennan. NO ONE ELSE can supply the money. I will know exactly when you withdraw the money, so do not try anything. You will leave the money in the trash can on the corner. I will provide proof of life and you will leave. You MUST come alone and you must leave immediately. I will know if someone has come with you or if you do not leave.

You will receive another letter tomorrow with a new request. It may not be on your office door, but you will know when you see it. Once you have complied with all of my requests, I will release Parker Booth. Until then, do EXACTLY as you are told…or bear the consequences.

Kindest Regards,

K

P.S. The voice recorder will provide proof of life."

Brennan's hands were shaking by the time she had finished reading. She slowly set the piece of paper down and focused her eyes on the voice recorder. She pressed the play button: "Daddy and Dr. Breman, I'm okay. The man told me to tell you that. Daddy, I'm scared." That was it. Brennan replayed the message. Parker's voice was shaky and he started to cry in the end. Brennan felt like throwing up…and she did. She leaned over to her side and threw up in the trash can. She slowly sat back up, freezing in her spot, tears streaming down her cheeks. Why did this man want things from her? It didn't matter. If $25,000 was what he wanted, then that's what he was going to get.

Angela's head popped into Brennan's office. "Morning, sweet-" Angela stopped short as she saw the look on Brennan's face. "Oh my God, what's wrong?" she asked, walking towards the desk.

Brennan looked up at Angela and handed her the letter. Angela's expression quickly changed as her eyes flew across the paper. Her jaw dropped and tears formed in her eyes. Brennan watched her and as she finished reading, Brennan handed her the recorder. Angela played it and placed her hand over her mouth.

Hodgins walked in a moment later. "Hi, Dr. Bren-" he stopped as both women were now crying. "What happened? Is it Parker?" he asked, worried.

Angela handed him the letter and the recorder, unable to speak.

"I-I've got to call Booth," Brennan said as she stood up, wiping her eyes. "He has to know. He's meeting with Rebecca and Drew in a little while. They should know, too."

"Why does this 'K' want your money? What do you have to do with this?" Hodgins asked, confused.

"I don't know. But, he wants $25,000 withdrawn at 12:00 today and I have to make sure that happens. Hodgins, can you start analyzing the paper, see if there's anything on it that you can trace? Lint, dirt, dust mites, I don't care, just find something," Brennan said as she walked to her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

Angela was still standing in the same spot with her hand over her mouth.

"Of course," Hodgins replied.

Brennan was about to dial when she realized that Angela had not moved. "Ang?" she asked softly, placing her hand on Angela's shoulder.

Angela slowly removed her hand from her mouth. "He's just a little boy. He said he was scared. It's probably dark and cold," Angela said, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Brennan looked to Hodgins, who was already handling the situation. "We're going to find him, alright? Come on, you can help me look for dirt and lint, okay?" Hodgins said as he guided Angela out of the office. Brennan looked at him as if to say thanks.

She had Booth on the phone within seconds. "You have to come down here…now."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"You can't go alone," Cam told Brennan.

"I have to. You read what he wrote. It has to be my money and I am the only one who can be there," Brennan replied.

"There has to be some way to track you or the money without him knowing," Cam pondered, leaning against Brennan's desk.

"I can be the tracker. I'm good at tracking," Hodgins offered.

"No, you're not. You stick out like a sore thumb," Angela replied, walking past him as she paced. Hodgins narrowed his eyes and shut up.

"We can't risk it. We have to do exactly what he says. That's the most rational thing to do. When you comply with kidnappers, they almost always return the child," Brennan explained.

Booth sat on the sofa, clutching the voice recorder in his hand, listening to all of them, but not uttering a sound.

"Almost is the key word in that sentence," Cam said. "How do we know that this 'K' actually knows how make sure you're alone?"

"How do we know that he doesn't?" Angela said. "And how did he get this note into the Jeffersonian? There are security guards everywhere."

"He probably paid one of them to deliver it," Hodgins replied.

"It doesn't matter, I have to do this," Brennan replied.

Cam sighed.

"What about a dog?" Zack asked, looking as if a light bulb had just illuminated above his head.

All of their heads turned towards him, stares of confusion appearing on their faces.

"What?" Cam asked.

"They have dogs that are trained in tracking money and other things. I have a friend who trains them. You put the smell of something that the dog likes on the money or person and then the dog tracks it," Zack explained, very proud of himself.

"Wait, you have friends?" Hodgins asked.

Zack glared at him for a moment. "It's actually fairly effective. All we need to do-"

"NO!" Brennan's voice echoed throughout the office. "We have to play by his rules, at least for now. Hodgins didn't find anything on the note, it's clean, so we have no tangible evidence. He knows what all of you look like and he wants me alone. I'm going...period," Brennan said defiantly as she stood to address them all.

"Why aren't you protesting to this?" Cam turned her attention to Booth.

He hesitated for a moment before rising from the couch. "Because she's right."

Cam stared at him in disbelief, thinking that he would have been on the phone to Cullen in an instant.

"If he has ways to detect certain things, then we can't risk it. We don't know enough about this guy yet. And he has my son," Booth replied as he looked sternly at Cam. She looked away and backed down. "I'll pay you back, Bones."

That thought hadn't even crossed her mind. "You think this is about money, Booth?" she asked in disbelief. "Come on, we should get to the bank," she said as she glanced at the clock: 9:56.

"I thought you didn't have to withdraw the money until noon," Zack said, confused.

Booth simply glared at him as he and Brennan left the office.

"I don't want you to have to do this," Booth told Brennan, a hint of a "but" in his voice.

"But you know I have to," Brennan added, looking at him.

"I really will pay you back," Booth told her.

"Booth, will you stop saying that? The money doesn't matter, you know that," Brennan replied.

"You remember everything I taught you about how to detect if someone's following you?" Booth asked her.

"Yes, Booth. You practically drilled it into my head after the gravedigger incident," Brennan replied.

"Well, it's important. I want you to be careful tonight. Just do everything he told you to do and get the hell out of there. And then you come straight home to me, okay?" Booth instructed her as they sat at their favorite table at the Royal Diner. He had wanted some just with her and away from the team before going to the bank. Brennan knew that and that's why they had left when they did.

"Booth, I know. It's going to be alright," she reassured him. "What I don't understand is why he won't give me Parker after I give him the money. This is a ransom note, right?"

"Apparently, he wants more. And from you, which I don't understand," Booth said, confused.

"Everything seems to be about me with this man," Brennan added.

Booth's confusion dissipated for a moment and he got an idea. "Bones, do you think this guy could be your stalker?" he asked.

She considered it for a moment. "It's entirely possible. He knew about Phoenix, he knows that we're together. But we can't assume anything like that yet. Like you said, we don't know enough about him."

Booth sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What am I going to tell Rebecca?" he pondered.

Brennan had asked herself the same question after reading the letter for the first time. "How is she doing?"

"She's a mess. Her psychiatrist has her on some pretty high-powered medications, so she was pretty out of it this morning. All she did was cry. Drew's taking good care of her, though," Booth replied.

"How are you doing?" she asked the question she had been wanting to ask all morning.

He looked at her. "Okay given the circumstances," he replied. "Bones, just please, be careful tonight, okay? I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because of this."

"Booth, I'm the reason this is happening, apparently. He's trying to get to me and he's using Parker. I'm the reason for this and if something happens to Parker, I won't be able to live with MYself," Brennan told him. She still couldn't believe it…that this guy would attempt to get to her by kidnapping an innocent child. The thought sent chills up her spine…but it was the reality they were faced with and she had to deal with it. And if that meant doing everything the kidnapper asked, then so be it.

Booth gazed at the woman in front of him for a few moments, unable to believe what she was about to do…for him…for his son. He didn't know how he should feel; his emotions were all jumbled up. All he knew was that he loved her and he loved Parker.

He reached across the table and took Brennan's hand. "Thank you."

Brennan was not going to even address his comment. "It's nearly 11, we should get going," was all she said.

They sat in the car outside of the bank, waiting until the exact time. The clock changed to 11:55 and Brennan looked over at Booth before opening the car door and stepping out. She walked briskly into the bank, small duffle bag in hand, and made her way to one of the tellers.

"May I help you?" the teller "Julie" asked.

"Yes, I'd like to make a withdrawal," Brennan replied.

"Alright, just fill out this form," Julie replied.

Brennan couldn't help but glance around her to see if anyone was watching. She proceeded to fill out the form. She handed it over to Julie as she glanced at her watch: 11:58.

"Alright, I just need to see your ID," Julie said before looking at the form. Brennan gave her her driver's license. Julie looked down at the form. "I'm sorry, you want cash?" she asked.

"Yes," Brennan replied.

"Okay, how would you like it? 100s? 50s?" Julie asked.

"It doesn't matter, I just need it now," Brennan replied, hurriedly.

"Okay, Dr. Brennan, it will be one minute." Julie disappeared.

Brennan stood, shifting her weight nervously. 11:59. Come on she thought, looking for Julie. She reappeared a minute later. She laid out the money on the counter, counting in 1000s and 100s. 12:00.

"Thank you," Brennan replied as she stuffed the bills into the bag. Julie eyed her warily. As she zipped up the bag, her cell phone rang. The word "unknown" flashed across the screen. "Brennan."

"Very good, Dr. Brennan. I will see you at 6:00," the voice was garbled and the line went dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

5:50. Booth was sick to his stomach. He paced Brennan's apartment. He had gotten off the phone with Rebecca about an hour earlier. Against his better judgment, he had told her that a ransom note had been found and that things were being put in place to handle the situation. She was Parker's mother and she deserved to know something. She had immediately started crying, asking him if he needed money and that she would help. He reassured her that it was taken care of. He neglected to mention that they would not be getting Parker back when the money was delivered. The less she knows, the better he had thought. He told her he would call with more information.

5:52. Now, he could not even believe he had agreed to let Brennan go through with this. How could he put her in danger like that? How could he let her do this? And then he thought, Who am I kidding? This is Bones we're talking about She would have insisted that she go through with everything even if he had tried to talk her out of it. As things were, they had no other choice. The kidnapper had already proved that he could track Brennan after the phone call he had made at the bank. Let's just get through this he thought as he paced.

5:54. She was probably getting close to the drop spot. Hopefully, she would be in and out in under 3 minutes. "K" said he would "provide proof of life" so she would get to see Parker. Parker Booth stopped pacing and thought of his little boy, his dark blonde ringlets, his adorable smile. He was his buddy. A tear fell from Booth's eyes and he brushed it away, pushing the thought of his son in the hands of a psychopath out of his mind and focusing back on the task at hand.

5:56. He knew she would be okay. He just knew it. She was Bones, after all. But he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and in the back of his mind that this wasn't even close to being over. She had gotten the money and she was now on her way to deliver it and still, he didn't know when he would see his son. If only he could let Cullen know under the radar. No! If "K" finds out, he'll kill Parker he yelled at himself.

"Dammit!" Booth yelled aloud, slamming the wall with his fist, which he then shook as he winced in pain. He collapsed onto the sofa, the anxiety rising in his chest. He swiped his hand across his face and tried to focus. She would call him as soon as she was on her way home. Just wait until then

5:59. She's there by now His breath caught in his throat and he didn't let it out for probably a good 30 seconds. The two most important people in his life were on the line right now and all he could do was sit on Brennan's couch and wait.

6:00

Brennan approached the corner of Washington and 72nd, duffle bag in hand. She glanced around her, searching for anything out of the ordinary. There was still a good 3 hours of daylight left and there were people walking and kids playing in a park across the street. She couldn't help but look for Parker in the crowd of children. She knew she wouldn't see him, but she had to look. She reached the trash can, looking to either side of her and across the street. She took the duffle bag and threw it in the trash…and waited.

Brennan's cell phone rang a few seconds later.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello there, Dr. Brennan. Thank you for the delivery. Now, as promised, I will give you proof of life. Look across the street to the park full of children," the garbled voice instructed. Brennan looked over again at the crowd of children. "Right there under the monkey bars is your proof of life." Brennan glanced frantically around. She looked and there was a full head of dark blonde ringlets sitting in the sand directly underneath the monkey bars. He was not playing, but he did not look hurt. "Alright, Dr. Brennan. Now, get in your car and leave. Oh, and I have jammed your cell phone signal just in case. You will hear from me tomorrow," the garbled voice explained and the line went dead.

Brennan tried to dial Booth's number, but all she heard was static.

It was 6:30 and he hadn't heard from her. She had said that she would call as soon as she left. Booth was pacing again. He tried calling her 10 times, but all he got was her voicemail. I shouldn't have let her go. What if he has her too? Booth was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when the door opened and Brennan walked in.

He practically ran to her and threw his arms around her, squeezing her with all of his heart. "You're okay. Oh, thank God you're okay," he said as he held her. He did not want to let go.

"He jammed my cell signal. But I saw Parker," Brennan said as she pulled out of the embrace. He kept one hand entwined with one of hers.

"How is he?" Booth asked, his eyes fraught with fear and anguish.

"He's fine physically," Brennan told Booth.

"Okay, so now all we have to do is wait for his next letter. Which should be in the morning, right?" Booth said quickly, still holding onto one of Brennan's hands, the anxiety in his chest about to burst.

"He is very precise, so yes, probably around the same time," Brennan said.

Booth squeezed her hand and looked at her with the utmost admiration. "Thank you," he said.

"Booth, I told you, you don't have to-"

"But I want to, okay? I didn't want you to do this even for a minute. I was so worried when I hadn't heard from you that-that he had taken you too. I love you, you know that, right?" Booth said, a tremble in his voice that reverberated throughout his body.

He was on the edge and she had to pull him back up. "Booth, of course I know that. We're going to get through this, alright?" Brennan told him as she looked him right in the eyes. She placed her hand on his face and rubbed his temple. He closed his eyes and his breathing began to smooth out.

He opened his eyes and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could. She fell into his arms as he rubbed her back. She felt his body tremble and she held on tighter, trying to support him. His body shuddered again and it was only after the third tremor that she realized he was crying. She pulled back slowly and put her hands on his face again. She gently pulled his head towards her and kissed him on the forehead, her lips lingering as she closed her eyes and he stroked her arms. She pulled away and took his hand.

"Come on," she said as she led him towards the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Just what in the hell is this about a ransom note?!" Cullen's voice bellowed into the phone.

Booth groggily and gently got out of bed, trying not to wake Brennan. He opened and closed the bedroom door quietly. Once safely in the living room, he spoke. "What?"

"Rebecca just called me asking if we had any new leads on the ransom note. I told her there wasn't a ransom note and she got hysterical, saying that you told her there was," Cullen explained to Booth.

Crap "Sir, I was trying to calm her down and she wanted to know what was happening, so I just told her we had a new lead," Booth stumbled over his words, secretly smacking himself for telling her. He hadn't imagined she would call Cullen. "Why didn't she call me?"

"She said she did, but you didn't answer," Cullen replied. "Now, Booth. Please tell me that there isn't a ransom note that you are hiding from the FBI?"

Booth hesitated before speaking. "No sir, of course not. I just wanted Rebecca to believe that we were moving forward instead of being stuck where we are," he explained, very rationally, to Cullen.

"Because you are bound by law to bring in any evidence regarding this case. And I wouldn't want you to go out on your own without proper back-up," Cullen told Booth.

"Yes sir, I know, sir," Booth replied, desperately wanting to actually tell Cullen. He knew he could probably convince him to keep it under wraps, but at this point, it still wasn't worth risking it. Nothing about that note could make it into evidence or he wouldn't see Parker again…period.

"You let me know if you hear anything," Cullen instructed. "And Booth?"

"Yes sir?"

"For future reference, don't lie to your ex about the status of her son's kidnapping. I don't think it will help the situation. You need to stay sharp, okay?" Cullen instructed Booth in a fatherly tone.

"Will do, sir," Booth replied as he quickly shut his phone. He sighed loudly, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. What if the kidnapper had traces on their phones? What if he now knew that the FBI had gotten wind of the note? What if he didn't let Parker go? Booth's mind was racing. He checked his phone: 4 missed calls and all were from Rebecca. Was I really that asleep? He looked over at the clock: 10:14. He had actually gotten nearly 3 hours of sleep, which surprised even him. He started to pace again.

A moment later, a phone rang. Booth jumped at the sound. He looked over to the kitchen counter and saw that it was Brennan's phone. He rushed to it, glancing at the caller ID "unknown" before picking up.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Agent Booth. I was expecting Dr. Brennan. You are a lucky man right now, Agent Booth. Lucky that you got Cullen to back down. You keep that ex of yours in line or your sweet little boy will be missing his fingers the next time you see him," the garbled voice was menacing.

Booth didn't even have a chance to protest before the line went dead. Within seconds, he had Rebecca on the phone.

"Rebecca, hi. I think there's been some confusion."

"Look, I'm sorry, Rebecca. I don't know what I was thinking, I just wanted you to be at ease," Booth tried to explain.

"By telling me that there was a ransom note when there wasn't?! How is lying to me going to help anything, Seeley?" she yelled at him.

"I don't know, Rebecca! I'm going crazy here!" Booth screamed.

Brennan appeared in the living room. "What is going on?" she asked, concerned.

Booth looked over at her. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you," Booth told her as he covered the speaker to the phone. Brennan could hear Rebecca's voice from across the room.

"Are you listening to me, Seeley?" Rebecca asked. Brennan pointed to the phone.

Booth turned his attention back to his son's mother. "Rebecca, just trust me, there is no ransom note, okay? Just make sure you get in touch with me before you talk to Cullen, alright?" Booth told her.

"I don't know what to believe, Seeley. But okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," she finally surrendered.

"Good night, Rebecca," Booth said as he hung up.

"How does she know about the note?" Brennan asked him.

"Because I sorta told her…when you were on your way to-"

"Booth!" Brennan snapped.

"I didn't want her to worry and then freak out and call Cullen, so I told her there was a ransom note, but that it was being handled. I didn't give her any details, so there was no way that 'K' would know. Except she tried calling me to ask about any leads and when she didn't get a hold of me, she called Cullen," Booth explained. "And then Cullen called me and that's how I found out about all of this. I told him I made it all up, that I lied to Rebecca. And then, 'K' called your phone and told me to keep Rebecca in line," Booth continued as he handed Brennan's phone to her.

"He has a trace on my phone," Brennan said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, he does," Booth replied.

"Do you think Cullen is satisfied with your story?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah, at least for now. I can't stand waiting!" Booth exclaimed, beginning to pace again.

"Where do you think he'll leave the next letter?" Brennan asked him.

"There's no telling. But he won't leave it at the Jeffersonian, it's too risky," Booth replied. Booth stopped pacing and sat on the sofa. He paused for a few long moments. "He said he'd cut off Parker's fingers if…" his voice trailed off.

Brennan's heart sank as she sat next to him. "That's not going to happen. Whatever his 'request' is, it will get done and he won't even have an excuse to touch Parker," Brennan told Booth, ever so gently.

"I don't know. I just have this funny feeling," Booth tried to explain.

"Of course you have a 'funny feeling,' your son is missing. It's understandable and it's called anxiety," Brennan explained rationally to him.

"I know. I just want all of this to be over and I want him home and I want you not to have to go through any of this. He made you pay $25,000 and we didn't even get Parker back! Who knows what he'll ask for next," Booth was nearly foaming at the mouth as he stood up again.

Brennan stood with him. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it. We have to…for Parker. I'll do whatever it takes, okay? You know that, right?" she asked as she grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

"Yeah, I know that, Bones," he said, comforted by her voice.

She could not even begin to imagine what it would truly take to bring Parker home.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Booth and Brennan were ready to go by 6:45 in the morning. "K" hadn't left anything on Brennan's apartment door and they had each double checked both his car and hers for any signs of a letter. He had said that she would know it when she saw it, so they really shouldn't have to look for it. It would be in plain view, she knew that. But still, they had searched, only to find nothing. Brennan had called Angela to ask if anything had turned up at the Jeffersonian. Nothing. While there still weren't any leads on Cullen's end, Booth was at a loss. All they could do was wait…again. On their way to the Jeffersonian, they stopped at the Royal Diner. It was nearly 9:00 when they walked through the doors.

"Where is the damn thing?" Booth asked, annoyed. They made their way to their usual table and sat down. "It's been over 24 hours. He said he'd have a new letter for us by now."

"It is a little odd, he is very precise and he hasn't even called," Brennan pondered aloud. When she saw the uneasy look on Booth's face, she added, "But it's still early, he'll come through on his word."

Booth set both elbows on the table and leaned forward. The waiter came by and they both ordered coffee. They were going to need a lot of it. Booth glanced over to the television set. "BREAKING NEWS" was flashing across the screen. The screen was full of live footage of a fire on the interstate.

"Hey, Al, what's going on?" Booth asked the owner.

"Some big car accident on the highway. The car blew up. Just happened 30 minutes ago. Traffic is backed up for miles," Al explained.

Both Brennan and Booth were now watching the screen, their attention drawn into the black smoke and the yellow flames that engulfed the wreckage of the car.

Brennan shifted her weight in her chair and her knee brushed the bottom of the table…which didn't feel much like a table, but more like a pillow. She wrinkled her brow and reached underneath the tabletop with her hand. She felt a soft, padded texture and suddenly, she knew what it was. She looked over at Booth, concern spread across her face.

"Booth," she said. He turned his attention back to her as she ripped the envelope off of the table.

In big, black letters, it read:

ATTN: Dr. Temperance Brennan

Regarding Parker Booth

They stared at each other for a few moments before Brennan tore the envelope open. There was another small packet of papers. Just like the day before, the top piece of paper was in the form of a letter. This time, Brennan read the letter aloud:

"Dearest Dr. Brennan,

I apologize for the delay. There were…complications. As you are probably watching right now, there has been a terrible accident on the interstate. If you would, take a closer look at the screen. Or perhaps ask Agent Booth to do so. You will notice that the make of the car is a Ford and that the model is an Expedition. A green Expedition, I believe. Yes, the very car that Parker's mommy and stepdaddy drive. You see, mommy was getting quite irritating, calling up Director Cullen at all hours of the night, worrying about Agent Booth and wanting an end put to this ransom deal. I warned you and Agent Booth and now, I'm afraid, you have had to bear the consequences."

Brennan's voice trailed off and her eyes were wide with shock. Booth's expression matched hers perfectly as they both looked to the screen. Booth's eyes searched frantically and he could see that the car was a green Ford Expedition.

"Oh my God," Booth said. He was in utter astonishment and he tried to clear his head. He dialed Cullen and was put through immediately. "Yeah, the car accident this morning wasn't an accident. Looks like our kidnapper is responsible. And the victims are Rebecca Peterson and Drew Sanders. Get a team out there right now," Booth told Cullen before hanging up.

Brennan was in a daze. He killed Rebecca and Drew? What would he do to Parker? she thought.

Booth looked over at Brennan, reminded that she had been reading the letter. "What does the rest say?" he asked her.

She was vacantly staring at the table. "What? Oh, right," she looked back to the letter and continued reading, squinting as though she did not want to know what was to come:

"Now that the problem has been handled, we can get back to the task at hand. But I am afraid you have angered me greatly and I must insist that we skip right to the final request. Or shall I say, the final two requests. The details are written below:

You, Dr. Brennan, will gather every memento or object that you have of your mother. That's right, your beloved mother. You will put them in a bag. Do not forget anything. Then, tonight at 9:00, Miss Montenegro will drive you in HER car (I have included a photograph of her silver Toyota Echo) to the corner of Jackson and Magnolia, just east of the natural gas plant. I will be tracking the car from the moment you leave the Jeffersonian. You will get out and she will drive away. Make sure you bring your phone. Once Miss Montenegro is safely out of sight, a van will appear and you will get into the back with your bag of mementos. Tell Agent Booth that he shouldn't bother trying to track the van. Any attempt will result in dire consequences. Once again, I don't think you want to know what those would be.

You see, Dr. Brennan, my final request…is YOU. You and you alone.

Tomorrow morning at 8:30am, Miss Montenegro will return to the same corner where Parker Booth will be waiting. NO ONE but Miss Montenegro is allowed to drive. You know that I will know if this rule is not obeyed. I do not think I need to remind you about the consequences.

Until tonight,

K

P.S. The pictures attached should provide you with proof that I was indeed the one who caused the "accident" on the interstate this morning. Poor mommy."

Brennan's heart had stopped…at least that's what it felt like to her. She couldn't look at the pictures; she already knew what they were.

Booth's hand flew to his phone. "This has gone way too far. The FBI is officially involved," Booth said as he speed dialed Cullen.

Brennan's eyes were teary and her pale complexion was even ghostlier than usual, but she managed a whisper. "Booth, stop."

"What?"

"Stop. Hang up," she instructed him.

"What? No."

She reached over and shut his phone. "You can't get the FBI involved. You saw what he can do," Brennan said as she motioned towards the TV. "This whole thing has been about me. He wants me and the sick bastard kidnapped Parker to make me comply. It's ugly, but it's the truth. You can't call Cullen and risk not ever seeing Parker again," Brennan explained as tears began spilling down her cheeks. "This is all because of me and I have to end it."

"What are you saying? You actually think you're going to give yourself over to this wackjob?" Booth asked her, his mind overwrought with anxiety.

"Yes," Brennan said simply.

Booth paused as the realization of the situation sank in. He would get his son back, but he would lose his Bones? No, that won't work!

"No, I'm calling Cullen and were getting federal on this guy's ass," Booth said as he stood and walked out of the diner.

Brennan followed close behind. "Booth, wait. Seriously, stop!" Brennan yelled at him.

He did as he was told, his cell phone in his hand. She grabbed it from him.

"Booth, there's no other choice. You make that call and he'll know and we'll never see Parker again. You think I want to do this?" she asked him, her voice fraught with anguish and her tears never ending. "Your little boy has just lost his mother. He needs you now more than ever and I'm going to make sure that he comes home to you tomorrow."

"Temperance, you can't do that. You can't just-"

"Yes, I can, Booth. I can and I will. He wants ME. This has nothing to do with Parker. Don't worry about me, I'll find a way out," she told him.

"Don't worry about you? Have you lost your mind in the last minute? Of course, I'm going to worry about you," Booth said as he reached forward and grabbed her arms, shaking her a little harder than he had intended. His eyes were pleading her not to do this, even though deep down, he didn't know what else they could do. "This guy just killed my son's mother. He'll do the same with Parker's future stepmother!" Booth yelled at her without thinking. He shook her again.

She didn't care that he was shaking her. She didn't even know if she had just heard him correctly… "future stepmother?" She couldn't feel her legs and a wave of nausea hit her smack in the stomach before her eyes fluttered and she fell, Booth's arms catching her before she could hit the ground. Her body shook and her eyes rolled in her head.

Brennan's eyes flickered open and she rolled her head, realizing that there was something soft behind her skull. "Booth?"

Booth was in the driver's seat of her car, and the car was going pretty fast. "You had a seizure, I'm taking you to the hospital," Booth explained to her.

"Seizure? What?" Brennan asked, her head pounding and heavy.

"When I caught you, your body started shaking," he explained again.

"No, Booth, that was convulsive syncope. I was fainting and the body's natural defense is to collapse and when you caught me, my body responded by shaking. I did not have a seizure," Brennan explained, momentarily forgetting about everything that was going on.

"It looked like a seizure to me," Booth told her.

"Leave the science to the scientist. I'm telling you, it wasn't a seizure," Brennan replied as she grabbed her forehead and rubbed. "It's just stress."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Booth replied.

"Turn around and go to the Jeffersonian. I need to fill Angela in on everything since she will be the driver," Brennan instructed Booth.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Booth asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sure you'll want to get to headquarters to follow up on…Rebecca," Brennan said, avoiding eye contact with Booth.

"I'll have them send the remains to the Jeffersonian for identification," Booth said plainly and without emotion.

"Booth, I'm so sorry…about Rebecca," Brennan said as she looked over at him.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have said anything and gotten her all worked up," Booth blamed himself.

"You couldn't have known what she would say…or what he would do," Brennan said, looking away, thinking of what "he" was capable of. In less than 12 hours, she would be in his presence and she would know everything he was capable of. She tried to shake the thought, but it lingered in the back of her mind.

"Yeah, I know," Booth replied.

They continued the rest of the ride in silence…an eerie sort of silence that loomed over the two of them as though there were a bomb ticking and they didn't know how to dismantle it. Booth was wracking his brain, trying to think of some possible way out of this whole mess…some way to find "K" before 9 o'clock tonight…some way to save his son and the love of his life. He couldn't think of anything that didn't involve the FBI.

Brennan's mind was racing and anxiety was gripping onto her chest. She looked at her watch: 10:22. She was trying to plan her day around the 9 o'clock time frame. She would tell Angela that they would need to leave at 8:30 to be sure to get to the corner of Jackson and Magnolia by 9:00. She would tell Zack to do the bone cleaning of the remains that Booth would have sent in while she went to her apartment to gather what "K" had told her to get. She went over in her head how many mementos she had and exactly where they were located in her apartment. Why he wanted those, she didn't know. All she knew was that she would get them and she would be ready at 9:00.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Angela rushed toward Brennan's desk and threw up in her trash can. Hodgins followed her and rubbed her back as soon as she was done. Cam and Zack looked away, their expressions grim.

"Are you okay, Ang?" Brennan asked her best friend.

"Am I okay?" Angela asked, rhetorically, through hot tears. "You just told me that I have to drive you to meet a psychopath who's obsessed with you, of course I'm not okay!" Angela yelled through her tears. Hodgins continued to rub her back as he held onto her arm so as to keep her from falling over.

"I just meant-" Brennan began.

"How do you expect to get out of there, Bren? You just think you'll find a way? We know what this man is capable of. He kidnapped Parker and now he's killed 2 people just to get to you. There is no telling what he'll actually do to you," Angela blurted out. She was not going to hold back, the truth needed to be said.

"I agree with Booth. We have to go to the FBI," Cam broke in.

"And do what? Tell Cullen what?" Brennan asked.

" 'K' said that there would be a van, so that means that someone is picking you up. Even if it isn't him, you could make the driver tell you what he-or she-was told to do. Then he-or she-will lead you right to him," Zack spoke up. This actually sounded quite logical. There were a few moments of silence as the team took in this information.

"You're forgetting that he will be tracking Angela's car from the moment we leave here. He'll know if the driver says something and he'll kill Parker," Brennan explained, even more logically. She was right and they all knew it. Zack retreated to his corner of the couch, that being his only idea.

"There has to be a way to find him before 9 o'clock tonight," Hodgins said. "Maybe we can find something from the explosive device used on the Expedition. It could lead us to identifying him. When will all of the evidence from the scene get here?" he asked Brennan.

"Booth is at headquarters now. It should be here within the hour, so probably by 12," Brennan replied.

"Just give me some time and I can find something," Hodgins said to her, a pleading tone in his voice.

"You can get to work on that, but even if you find something, it won't necessarily tell us where he is," Brennan told him.

"I'll find something, dammit," Hodgins said, defiantly. He was determined to get the SOB before 9:00 tonight…and so was everyone else.

"He's good. He'll find something and we'll get this guy," Angela said.

"I know he's good, I hired him. We just…don't have the time," Brennan said, a tone of defeat in her voice.

"Zack and I will start with the remains when they get here. Angela, I'll need you to confirm the identities and meanwhile, Hodgins, you can check the bomb for anything that could be useful," Cam reiterated everything they had just said as if giving orders. She was nervous and she wanted to remain in control. "Alright, sounds like a plan," she added as she gave a half-smile and walked out of the office.

"She's just nervous. Ignore her," Angela told Brennan.

"Don't we usually?" Hodgins asked, rhetorically.

"Now is not the time to be a smart ass, Jack," Angela scolded him.

"I'm going to go home and get together the mementos. Zack, I know you and Cam can handle the remains. Call me when you have an ID," Brennan explained as she gathered her things to leave.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Zack replied. "And Dr. Brennan…we're going to do everything we can so you don't have to…go…tonight," Zack stumbled over his words, trying to make a comforting statement.

Brennan thought this was quite sweet. "I know, Zack. Thank you," she told him.

He smiled slightly and left the office.

"Sweetie, do you want me to go with you?" Angela asked her.

"I think I just need some alone time," Brennan replied.

"I don't think you should be alone. You need people around you right now, in case you want to talk…or something," Angela was actually at a loss for words, which never happened, especially when she was talking to Brennan.

"I'll be okay, Ang. I'm safe at my apartment," Brennan told her.

"Hey, won't Cullen think it's strange that Booth knew who the victims were? Won't he ask where he got his information?" Hodgins asked out of the blue.

"Booth will come up with something, he always does," Brennan replied.

Hodgins was not convinced, but he didn't press the issue. He realized he was a little out of place in front of the two women and decided to take his leave. "Well, I'll just get out to the platform and wait on the bomb. Dr. Brennan…I-"

"It's okay, Hodgins, you don't have to say anything," Brennan let him off the hook.

He smiled warily at her and left the office.

"I should get going," Brennan said.

"Bren, have you actually thought about what you're doing? Do you even realize how serious this is?" Angela asked her, her face wracked with concern.

"Yes, I do," Brennan replied simply.

"And you're still going to go through with it?" Angela asked, dumbfounded. "Let Booth figure this out with Cullen."

"Ang, we can't do that. Why do you all keep insisting that we get the FBI involved? We know what this man is capable of. It's too risky, how many times do I have to say that?" Brennan exclaimed.

"Exactly, we know what he's capable of. Bren, sweetie…have you even thought about what he could do to you?" Angela asked. She had already managed to imagine quite a few scenarios she never thought her brain could create. She shook the thoughts from her mind.

"Yes, Ang, I have, but…" Brennan closed her eyes as tears began to form, "…this is Booth's little boy. And the only reason he was kidnapped was because of me. This wackjob only wants one thing…ME. As soon as he's done with me, he'll-"

"Probably kill you," Angela broke in and said the one thing that everyone had been thinking, but hadn't wanted to admit.

Brennan looked at her friend, who was looking as though it were the last time she would ever see her. Brennan couldn't handle it; she couldn't take the sad looks…not even from Angela.

"We don't know that. I-I have to go…get my stuff for tonight," Brennan said, avoiding Angela's eyes and hurrying towards the door.

"Will you please call me in a little bit, sweetie?" Angela asked, frowning.

"Of course," Brennan replied as she left the office.

Angela stood there, tears streaming down her face. A wave of nausea hit her and she ran to Brennan's trash can and threw up again.

"You're telling me that the kidnapper called you and told you that he was responsible?" Cullen asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Yes, sir, this morning around 9:00. He said he wanted us to know what he was capable of. He must have known that she was talking to you," Booth explained, trying not to meet his boss' eyes.

"I'm so sorry about Rebecca, Booth," Cullen told him. They were standing in Cullen's office.

"Thank you, sir," Booth replied.

"Why was she so upset about this fake ransom note? She was so concerned that you were losing it, that's why she called me. She wanted me to take control of the ransom note situation," Cullen explained to Booth.

"I don't know, sir. She wouldn't let it go. I think she just wanted the hope that we had a lead," Booth lied.

Cullen looked at him intently. "Are you sure there isn't anything you're not telling me?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of Booth.

"I have told you everything that is pertinent, sir," Booth told him, dodging the question.

"That's not what I asked," Cullen replied, walking towards Booth with his hands on his hips, closing the gap between them. "Agent Booth, is there a ransom note?" he asked straight out.

Booth hesitated. He met Cullen's gaze. "Sort of, sir," Booth replied.

"What do you mean, 'sort of?'" Cullen asked him.

"There's a situation that I can't bring to the FBI…sir," Booth explained.

"I can't believe this, Booth!" Cullen exclaimed. "You should have brought it to me the instant you got it."

"Sir, the situation involves Dr. Brennan. The kidnapper will kill my son if the FBI knows. He definitely has a way of tracking Dr. Brennan. I don't think he has the same tools to track me as long as this stays under wraps," Booth explained.

"Under wraps? Booth, what in the hell is going on?" Cullen asked, exasperated.

"Sir, I can't tell you the exact circumstances. Please…don't ask me to," Booth pleaded.

"It is your legal obligation for you to tell me. Booth, this is an FBI matter, what do you know?" Cullen insisted.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but my son's life depends on the FBI not being involved. That's what got Rebecca killed. Please, I have to handle this on my own," Booth replied.

"Booth, I don't think you understand-"

"I understand perfectly! I understand that my son is out there, scared and alone while this psycho wackjob preys on my girlfriend! I know that he will kill Parker in an instant if the FBI gets into this. I understand a whole hell of a lot better than you do!" Booth yelled, breathing heavily.

Cullen stood there, lost for words. He empathized with Booth because he knew what it was like to lose a child. "Alright. I'll leave it alone. You just be careful," Cullen finally said.

"Yes, sir," Booth said as he walked out of Cullen's office.

Cullen watched him go, hoping that Booth had this under control and unable to believe that he was actually keeping this under wraps.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"Alright, get to work," Booth said to the team, who had all lined up to hear what he had to say. Zack and Cam took the two sets of remains to begin cleaning and determining causes of death (which didn't take a scientist to figure out). Hodgins took the pieces of the explosive device and hurried to his area of the platform to begin his search. Angela stood there, as she was not needed yet.

"What am I supposed to do? Just stand here and wait til Brennan signs her death wish," Angela asked Booth, a grim look plastered on her face.

"That's not helping, Angela," Booth told her.

"I don't care. I can't stand this! I want Parker home safe, but I can't just accept that Brennan has to basically sacrifice herself. This is insane, Booth! You have to have a plan, please dear God, tell me you have a plan," Angela said, tears returning to her eyes.

Booth glanced at Angela, his hands on his hips. He could barely stand to look her in the eye.

"You don't have a plan? You're the king of plans; you found Brennan and Jack in a canyon full of rocks, Booth. You have to know what to do. If you don't know, then…we might never see her again," Angela pleaded with Booth through her tears.

"Angela, please try to calm down," Booth said as he took her by the arm and led her to Brennan's office. "I'm still trying to come up with something; I haven't stopped thinking about it."

"What did you tell Cullen?" Angela asked.

Booth sighed. "He knows about the ransom note, but I told him to let me handle this and he agreed to keep it under wraps."

"Booth, we need the FBI. This has gone way too far," Angela protested.

"I know it has, but the FBI can't help us. I don't know who can help us," Booth said as though he were giving up. At least that's the way Angela took it.

"What, are you giving up? You can't give up, Brennan needs you," Angela protested again. "You can't let her go through with this."

"I know that! You don't think this is the hardest thing I have ever gone through? I'm going to get Parker back, but lose Bones in the process and you think I'm sitting still about it?!" Booth yelled.

"Of course not, that's not what I meant. I just-you usually know what to do by now and I'm getting scared…scared that she's actually going to have to do this," Angela confessed.

Booth rubbed his forehead and sighed loudly. "Me too."

Angela looked at Booth intently. She could see the fear in his eyes, the agony in his voice. He had dark circles under his eyes and Angela thought he slightly resembled a ghost at this point. "You love her more than anything, don't you?" Angela asked, softness in her voice.

Booth looked over at her, a wrinkle in his brow. "Yeah, I really do. Temperance and Parker are the two most important things in my life."

"And they're both being taken away from you. How is it that you are even standing up right now? You should be curled up into a ball," Angela said, the realization of Booth's torment suddenly hitting her smack in the face. She thought back to Jack being buried alive and she empathized with Booth.

Booth glanced at Angela, a solemn look on his face.

"Angela, we are almost finished with the remains. We have dental records, but we need facial reconstruction," Zack appeared in the office. Neither Angela nor Booth responded. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, Zack. I'll be right there," Angela replied. "Wait, what about the bomb?"

"Hodgins hasn't been able to narrow it down. It's a very common explosive device," Zack replied and quickly disappeared as he felt awkward.

Angela walked towards Booth and placed her hand on his arm. "We all love her and we all want to get her out of this. But if we can't, we'll all work around the clock to find her," she told him.

Booth looked at Angela and placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed. "I know."

"She's at home. You should go," she told him.

With that, she left the office. Booth stood there for a long while, thinking…not about how to get Brennan out of the situation, but about how he was going to say goodbye…for now. He couldn't believe his mind was even going there, but he couldn't deny the inevitable any longer. He loved her so much, it hurt. He couldn't bear to think about what might happen to her once she was in the grasp of that madman. He had avoided it all day, but now, it washed over him like a tidal wave. He needed to see her…and now.

Brennan had found 6 different dolphin figurines, including the belt buckle. She had gone to her bathroom and pulled out her mother's earrings; the ones that had been ripped through her ear lobe. She had found a dozen pictures of her childhood. She had taken all of the objects and put them in a small satchel. Now, she was sitting on her sofa, drinking a glass of Marilyn Merlot. She looked at the clock: 5:32. She took a sip and savored the taste, swallowing slowly. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. And then another one. Brennan did not get anxiety…but today was a very different story. Today was a day that she could never imagine happening…not in a million years. But it was happening and she had to face it and she knew it. She had held up and been strong all day because she knew she had to be…for Booth…and for Parker.

But now, alone in her apartment for perhaps the last time, the wave of emotions she had been holding back came crashing down on her. Her breathing stopped for a while and when it finally returned, she exhaled drops of salt. Her glass of wine fell from her hands and rolled onto the sofa. She brought her hands to her face and tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming. Her chest heaved as the tears fell, but no sound escaped her lips. She sat and cried silent sobs for minutes until finally, it was too much that her lips parted, her eyes squeezed shut even tighter, and she cried out in anguish…a long, drawn out, agonizing cry. She brought her legs up onto the couch and grabbed onto them, hugging herself. Suddenly, the tears stopped. But she continued to sit there, her chin on her knees as she rocked back and forth, staring vacantly in front of her. Her mind was blank. She had no thoughts. Her brain was too tired, too worn out. Her eyes began to droop as the rocking slowed. Her head tilted to one side, resting in the crest of her elbow. She was exhausted…if only I could sleep for a while…

Just when she was nodding off, Booth walked through the door. She sat up immediately, dropping her legs and grabbing the glass of wine.

Booth walked straight to her and sat down next to her, taking her hands in his.

"I know you're doing this because you love me. And I thought that I could get you out of this, get us out of this and that everything would be alright like it always is. I thought by now I'd know exactly what to do and I could look you in the eyes and tell you that you didn't have to do this. I don't want you to do this. I would die before I would see you hurt. I don't know what to do," Booth explained. Tears came to his eyes and he put his hand on her face, stroking it gently.

Brennan saw the look of panic in his eyes. She gazed at him, their eyes searching each other for an answer, a resolution to this mess.

"There's only one thing to do," she said finally, placing her hand on his.

Booth looked into her blue eyes and found, once again, the answer to his prayers…the answer that he was afraid he was about to lose. "I love you, Temperance."

"I love you, too," she replied, her eyes glistening.

Booth leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. As they pulled away, she wrapped her arms around his midsection, her head resting on his chest as he lay back on the sofa. She could feel his chest rising and falling with every breath, his heart beating loudly. They lay there in silence as he stroked her hair and she continued to cry.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

It was 8:25. Brennan, Angela, Hodgins, and Booth were in the parking garage next to Angela's car. Brennan clutched her bag of mementos. She had already said goodbye to Zack, who had been unable to utter a single sound during the interaction. Cam had given her a quick hug before ducking out of the office. Now, the four of them stood there in silence.

"We should get going," Brennan said, unable to delay the truth any longer.

Hodgins stepped forward and grabbed Brennan, catching her a little off guard. "Sorry, didn't mean to…hug so hard," Hodgins said as he pulled away. He turned to Angela and she motioned for him to step away and he did as he was directed.

Booth and Brennan looked at each other, neither of them wanting to say the words.

"I'll find you," Booth told her as he reached for her head and pulled it to his chest.

"I know," she said into his chest. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "I have to go."

"I know," he replied. He gave her one more kiss and she broke away early; it was too painful.

The two men stood and watched the two women get into the car and drive away. Hodgins didn't know what to say to Booth. He looked at him and placed his hand on Booth's shoulder. Booth didn't look at him, but he knew the sentiment was there. Hodgins didn't even need to say a word.

Angela and Brennan traveled in silence. Angela stifled tears by blinking uncontrollably. She didn't have the words to express how she was feeling because she had never felt this way before. She was literally driving her best friend into the arms of a psychopath and there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it. Brennan stared out the window, watching the night settle into the city. The sun was setting as they drove and suddenly, Brennan thought back to the magnificent sunset at the restaurant in Phoenix. It was hard to believe that it was less than a week earlier. She could see the brilliant pinks and blues and yellows illuminate the sky. She could see Booth's smile and feel Booth's arms around her as they danced. She closed her eyes and reenacted it all in her mind. A tear fell from her eye as a small smile made its way across her lips.

"We're here," Angela announced, bringing Brennan out of her daydream and back into reality. Angela came to a stop at the corner of Jackson and Magnolia. It was 8:56.

Brennan opened her eyes and looked to her friend. "Ang, this isn't goodbye," she said.

"Right, I know. Booth will find you, he said he would and he always makes good on his word," Angela said, still blinking uncontrollably.

Brennan looked into Angela's eyes for a few moments. "Thank you for doing this," she said.

Angela couldn't contain herself and the tears started flowing as she reached forward and grabbed onto her best friend, holding on tight. "I love you," Angela told Brennan.

"I love you too, Ang," Brennan replied, keeping herself from crying.

Angela couldn't let go. She couldn't handle the thought that this might be the last time she would ever see her best friend. It was too hard. Brennan finally broke the embrace.

"It's 9:00. I have to go," she told Angela.

Angela nodded.

Brennan opened the car door and stepped out, her bag in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She held her hand up to say goodbye to Angela. Angela blew her a kiss and reluctantly drove away, leaving Brennan on the dark street corner.

Brennan stood, breathing heavily, waiting for a sign of the van. She stood for a few minutes, checking her watch: 9:03. He's late? she thought. As the thought hit her, her cell phone rang. She jumped. She didn't have to look at caller ID.

"Hello."

"Sorry for the delay, Dr. Brennan. But there has been a slight change of plans. There will be no van coming for you. Instead, you will walk across the street to the small blue house on the corner. Just come up the front steps and ring the doorbell," the voice was no longer garbled. She could hear the man crystal clear. He sounded very polite about everything, with a hint of menace in his voice. She felt she had heard this voice before.

Brennan looked across the street and saw the blue house and began walking. As she reached the front steps, she asked, "Is Parker okay?"

"Not to worry," the voice replied.

She walked up the steps and stood before the front door. She stared at the door and then sighed. After a moment, she rang the doorbell.

"Ding dong," the voice said.

The door cracked open and Brennan leaned forward to try and see. As she did, a puff of smoke invaded her senses. She pulled back and fell heavily to the ground.

Everything was spinning. Confusion wracked Brennan's brain. She was in a haze of bewilderment as she tried to sit up. She was on the floor somewhere; she could feel the carpet beneath her. Her eyes rolled and fluttered and she was able to pull herself up onto her left elbow. She opened her eyes, slowly. It was fairly dark and she could see the outline of her figure. Squinting, she opened her eyes completely. She finally managed to pull herself up into a full sitting position as she glanced around. Much to her surprise, she was not tied up; she had complete use of her arms and legs. She was in a small room. Seven feet in front of her was a wall and a door. There was a cot and a chair and that was it, as far as she could tell. The room stank and Brennan wrinkled her nose at the smell. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but it was foul. Her head was pounding and she reached up to rub it, still confused about what had happened. She leaned back slightly and felt the wall behind her. She leaned her head against it, closing her eyes again. She sat in the same position for a few minutes as everything came flooding back to her. She must be in the small blue house…the smoke in her face must have knocked her out. Once she realized what was happening, she opened her eyes again, and looked around her for her bag. She felt for it, but it was not there. He must have taken it she thought. As she finished searching, she heard a noise.

She stopped moving immediately, listening intently for what the noise could possibly be. It sounded like a soft cry, but she didn't know where it was coming from. Immediately, she thought Parker Her head turned to the right and she listened…and she heard it again. She slid over to the side wall and looked for a hole or vent. She found a vent and leaned her head in towards it. The cry came again. She put her mouth close to the vent.

"Parker?" she said loudly.

The crying stopped.

"Parker, is that you? It's Dr. Brennan," Brennan spoke into the vent.

There was a pause and Brennan held her breath.

"Dr. Breman?" Parker replied, sniffling.

Brennan sighed in relief. "Parker, are you alright?" she asked him, knowing that it was a stupid question, but she wanted to know the state of his physical condition.

"I'm scared, Dr. Breman. Where are you?" Parker replied, his voice quivering and his crying still faint.

"I'm in the room next to you, Parker. I know you're scared…buddy, but don't worry, you're going to go home really soon, okay?" Brennan tried to comfort him.

"Where's mommy and daddy and Drew? Did you come to take me home?" Parker asked her.

Brennan paused, thinking of how exactly to answer that question. "Yes, Parker. You're going home in the morning, I promise," Brennan told him.

"Okay," Parker replied and paused a moment before continuing, "Dr. Breman, are you okay?"

"Yes, Parker, I'm fine. Hey buddy, can you tell me if you're hurt? Do you hurt anywhere?" Brennan asked him.

"My hand hurts. I cut it," Parker told her.

"Is it bleeding, Parker?" Brennan asked.

"No, not anymore, it just hurts," Parker replied.

"And you're not hurt anywhere else? Are you sure?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah. I wanna go home," Parker said, beginning to cry again.

"I know you do, Parker. Remember what I said? You get to go home in the morning. Do you think you can be a brave boy until then?" Brennan asked him.

Parker hesitated. "Yeah, I think so," he said finally.

"Okay, good. I'm right here next to you, okay, Parker?" Brennan reassured the little boy.

"Okay, Dr. Breman," he said.

"Hey, you know what? You can call me Bones just like your daddy does. How does that sound?" Brennan tried to cheer him up.

"Can I call you Dr. Bones?" Parker asked, a hint of cheeriness in his voice.

"Of course you can, Parker. That will be your special nickname for me," Brennan told him, smiling slightly. She was so relieved that he was alright.

"Daddy talks about you all the time," Parker told Brennan.

Brennan smiled as tears began to form in her eyes. "He does, really?"

"Yeah, he told me that we were gonna go to the park and you would come and buy me ice cream," Parker informed Brennan, his spirits lifted.

"Well, I think that sounds like a great idea," Brennan said. "What's your favorite flavor?" she asked him.

"I like rocky road, but Daddy says it's gross," Parker informed Brennan.

"That just means there's more for you," Brennan replied.

"Yeah! So, you'll go to the park with us?" Parker asked her, almost pleading.

"I would love to, Parker," Brennan told him. She rested her head against the wall as a tear fell from her eyes. She quickly brushed it away. She couldn't sound sad, Parker was feeling better.

"Daddy said we could get a puppy and take it to the park, but Mommy won't let me. I really want a puppy," Parker said.

Brennan's heart sank when he said "mommy." He had no idea that he would never see his mommy again. "How about this, Parker. When we get home tomorrow, Daddy and I will take you and get you a puppy. How does that sound?" Brennan asked him.

"Really, Dr. Bones? You'll get me a puppy?! What if Mommy gets mad?" he asked, excitedly.

"I think she'll get used to it," Brennan added, cringing at the words.

"Wow, thank you, Dr. Bones! You're so nice! Daddy always says you're nice and I knew you were cause Daddy always tells the truth, no matter what. He's the coolest dad in the whole world!" Parker exclaimed. Brennan could tell his eyes were lighting up at the thought of his father.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cool guy," she replied.

"He got me a robot for Christmas, not this Christmas, but the one before it. It does what I tell it to and everything!" Parker exclaimed. "Well, I broke it, but it was so cool!"

Brennan remembered that day at Wung Foo's. It was the first time she had seen Parker. She had thought he was absolutely adorable. "That's really neat."

"Yeah. See? Told ya he was the coolest!" Parker said, happily.

A moment went by and Brennan heard footsteps. Her eyes flew to the door, but her attention stayed with Parker. The footsteps got closer and closer and then they stopped. She heard a key click and the door handle turned. A man dressed all in black and a black mask stood before her.

Brennan looked at him, her jaw clenched.

"Dr. Bones? Are you still there?" Parker asked, sounding a little frightened.

Brennan's gaze stayed on the man in front of her as he motioned for her to stand up. As he moved his left hand, a silver knife was revealed.

"Parker, I'm going to have to leave for a little bit, okay?" Brennan began.

"Why? Don't go, Dr. Bones," Parker said, anxiously.

"Don't worry, Parker, I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" Brennan said as she stood up. "Hey, why don't you think of a name for your puppy while I'm gone? Think of a really good name, alright, buddy?" Brennan said as she walked slowly towards the man. As she reached him, he grabbed her by the back of her head, pulling her hair. She closed her eyes.

"Okay. But you promise you'll be back soon?" Parker asked, still not convinced.

"I promise, Parker. Now start thinking, okay? You can even pretend you have your puppy right now," Brennan said as the man began to lead her out of the room.

"Yeah, okay! I'll talk to you soon, Dr. Bones," Parker replied.

"Alright, Parker. Bye," Brennan said and the man shut the door behind them, leaving the room empty.

"Bye, Dr. Bones," Parker replied to the empty room.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Booth did not want to go home and he couldn't bear to stay at Brennan's apartment. Everything reminded him of her. It was now past 11:00 and all of the squints (minus Camille) were gathered upstairs in the lab. Booth had started out there, but he had found it too depressing as everyone didn't know quite what to say around him, so he had left and gone to her office. It was at least a little better than being in her apartment. He collapsed into the sofa.

He leaned forward and put his hands together, and bowed his head to pray. He sat in the same position for a long time, his brow furrowed and his jaw tightened. After he was finished, he crossed himself and sat back up in the sofa.

He thought about how far they had come in the past week…from partners to a couple. He thought about how only a few days ago, they were lying lazily by the pool. He thought about how they had stayed wrapped in each other's arms for hours, gazing at each other. He imagined her soft lips on his and her warm breath on his neck. He thought about how wonderful it had been when they had made love. He imagined holding her forever. He thought of the ring he had bought and how he might not ever get to give it to her…and he started sobbing. For the first time in years, Seeley Booth was sobbing.

He had been close to losing Bones before, but he had always found her…he had always been there for her. And now, he felt like he was letting her down and in the worst way imaginable. The sobs wracked his body and he leaned his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. He didn't care if he sobbed forever because it felt like the tears would never end. He was almost afraid that they would end and he would be left with utter emptiness, unable to feel anything.

It was too much. He spread out on the couch and grasped a pillow tightly, his eyes staring vacantly in front of him, the tears streaming down. He lay there for a long while before exhaustion set in and his eyes drooped shut.

Angela had come down to find Booth. She walked into Brennan's office and saw him lying on the sofa, clutching a pillow. Angela looked at Booth for a long while. She watched his brow wrinkle and his hands twitch, soft groans coming from his mouth. The tears streamed and her bottom lip sagged. She walked forward and took the blanket from the end of the couch and spread it across him. He shifted in his sleep. She bent down to kiss him on the forehead and as she did, he whispered a word in his sleep: "Temperance."

Angela's heart broke right then and there. She wiped her face and started out of the office, only to catch Jack in the doorway. He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and her entire body shuddered as she cried. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair, and kissed her on the cheek.

He looked at Booth while he held the love of his life…and a tear fell from his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Brennan's eyes hurt and it was difficult for her to open them, but she managed a squint. Every bone in her body ached. She tried to move and cried out in pain. She felt something soft beneath her. Her hand felt around and she realized that she was on the cot. It was quiet and dark. She tried to lift her head, but it was pounding like a drum and she dropped it heavily on the pillow. She licked her lips and swallowed hard, her mouth parched. She tasted blood. She raised her hand to her mouth and wiped the corner. She looked down at her hand and saw bright red. She swallowed again. As she became more alert, her thoughts went straight to Parker. She slowly brought herself to a sitting position, unable to bear the pain she felt in her wrist, head, back, pelvis, ankle, and stomach. She focused on Parker, trying to push the memories of the past…she didn't even know how long it had been…from her mind.

She stood up, teetering on one leg, holding her right arm close to her body. It was excruciating and she knew it was broken. She limped to the wall and slid down it, next to the vent.

"Parker?" she called out.

There was no response. She started to worry, nearly panic.

"Dr. Bones?" Parker finally responded.

Brennan closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

"Hey, buddy. I'm back, just like I promised," Brennan said, breathlessly.

"I fell asleep. I'm glad you're back, Dr. Bones," Parker told her.

"Me too, Parker. Are you still okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Is it tomorrow yet?" Parker asked.

Brennan honestly had no idea what time it was, but she knew it had to be far past midnight. "Yes, Parker. You'll get to go home and see Daddy soon," she said, closing her eyes as the pain was too much.

"And Mommy too," Parker added.

Brennan's brow wrinkled. "Right, Parker," she replied. The tears returned and she cried as quietly as she could. He must have been thinking about his mom and dad because he didn't talk for a good 30 seconds. Brennan didn't worry, she knew he was alright. She put her head in her left hand and felt a large bump on her forehead.

"Rufus," Parker said suddenly.

"What, Parker?" Brennan asked.

"I'm gonna name my puppy Rufus," Parker told her.

"That's a good name, Parker. I think he'll like it," Brennan replied.

"You like it, really?" he asked, looking for her approval.

"Definitely, kiddo," Brennan replied.

"So, we'll go get him today, right? Cause I wanna take him to the park. Will you come too, Dr. Bones?" Parker asked.

"Of course," she replied, cringing as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

She heard a door open in Parker's room. Parker started to cry.

"Hey, Parker. Listen to me, okay? Parker, are you listening?" Brennan asked, frantically.

"Yes," he replied through tears.

"Remember, you have to be brave. The man is going to take you to Angela. Do you remember Angela?" Brennan asked.

"She does pretty drawings, right? And she's pretty," Parker replied.

"Yes, Parker, that's right. Angela is picking you up and she's going to take you to see Daddy, okay? Don't be scared, alright? You're going home," Brennan said, a tone of desperation in her voice. She wanted him safe.

"But what about you, Dr. Bones? Aren't you coming too?" Parker asked.

"Not right now, Parker. But I'll see you soon, I promise," Brennan said as she heard activity in the other room.

"But I want you to come with me," Parker said.

"I can't come with you right now, Parker, I'm sorry. But you're going to see Daddy very soon," Brennan replied.

"I'll see you soon, right?" Parker asked.

"I made a promise," Brennan said. "And Parker, don't forget to tell Daddy about Rufus, okay?" she added.

"I won't forget. Bye, Dr. Bones," Parker said and she heard the footsteps get further away.

"Bye, Parker," she whispered to herself. He was going home…he was finally going home.

The man in the mask knelt down next to Parker.

"I'm going to put this blindfold on you and you don't take it off until I tell you to, alright?" the polite, yet menacing voice crackled.

Parker nodded.

"K" placed a blindfold around Parker's head and then looked at his watch. 8:26. He opened the front door and walked Parker out the door, guiding him down the 3 steps and then across the street. He stopped at the corner of Jackson and Magnolia.

"Okay, Parker. You stand here and count to 30. Can you do that?" "K" instructed.

"Yes," Parker replied.

"When you get to 30, you can take the blindfold off, but stay right here and the young woman will be here to pick you up and take you home," "K" told him.

"Okay," Parker said, sadness in his voice.

"Bye-bye, Parker," "K" said as he left the little boy standing on the street corner. He returned to the blue house and shut the front door behind him. He hurried down the stairs to the basement and opened Brennan's door.

She was still up against the wall. Her eyes flew open.

"Come on," he said to her as he grabbed her and pulled her up. She winced in pain.

She limped up the stairs with him. He took her to the kitchen and they stood at the window. She could see Parker standing on the corner, blindfolded. A few moments later, Angela's car pulled up as Parker took off his blindfold.

Angela jumped out of her car.

"Parker!" She ran towards him and knelt down. He was crying. "It's okay, sweetheart, you're okay now," Angela said as she hugged him. "Let's get you home."

Brennan watched Angela open the back door for Parker and helped him get in.

"You did as you were told and the little boy is safe. Congratulations, Dr. Brennan. I commend you for your deed," "K" told her.

He held her from the back and she was unable to move as she watched Angela put Parker's seat belt on and ruffle his hair. Tears were streaming down Brennan's cheeks again.

"And little does your best friend know that you are only a mere 20 yards from her right now. She could save you if she knew, but unfortunately, she doesn't have a clue," "K" said, his voice full of complete contempt.

Angela shut Parker's door and walked to the driver's side. She stopped and looked around, hoping that she would see Brennan somewhere. She lingered for a few moments before getting in the car.

Brennan watched her friend and Parker drive away.

"Now, Dr. Brennan, where did we leave off?" "K" said as he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her behind him, out of the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

"Daddy!" Parker exclaimed as he ran into Booth's arms.

"Hey, buddy! Oh, gosh, I missed you so much," Booth said as he hugged his little boy in his arms. He squeezed tighter, not wanting to let go.

"Daddy, I can't breathe," Parker spoke up from underneath Booth's arms.

"Sorry, pal. Daddy's just really happy to see you, that's all," Booth told him.

Angela followed closely behind. "He has a cut on his hand, but other than that, he looks fine," Angela informed Booth.

Booth turned Parker's left hand over. "Why don't we get that cleaned up, bud," Booth said. "Do you hurt anywhere, Parker? Did that man hurt you?" Booth asked his son as they made their way to the bathroom at the Jeffersonian.

"No, Daddy. Just my hand, but Dr. Bones made it feel better," Parker explained as Booth hoisted him up so he could reach the sink. Booth's heart sank at the thought of Bones.

"Dr. Bones, huh?" Booth said.

"Yeah, she said it can be my special nickname for her," Parker explained to his father as he scrubbed his hands with soap.

"So, you saw Dr. Bones?" Booth asked, interested.

"No, but we talked through the wall. Oh, Daddy! She said she would get me a puppy and I'm gonna name him Rufus!" Parker said, excitedly.

"Really? That sounds cool, bud," Booth said as he knelt down to scrub Parker's hand.

"I really like her, Daddy. She said she'd come to the park today and play. When is she gonna get here?" Parker asked.

Booth looked in his son's eyes, which were sparkling. It was almost as if he had forgotten about what he had been through in the past few days.

"I'm not sure, pal. But hopefully it'll be soon," Booth replied as he rinsed Parker's cut with clean water.

"I hope so," Parker said, drying his hands. "Daddy? Where's Mommy?" Parker asked.

Booth stopped. He had been preparing his speech to his son, but he still hesitated. "Parker, Mommy…she and Drew, well, they had an accident," Booth began.

"What do you mean?" Parker asked.

"Parker…Mommy and Drew, they made a trip to Heaven," Booth explained gently as he knelt back down to his son's level.

"Are they coming back?" Parker asked.

"I told you about Heaven, right, buddy?" Booth asked.

"Yes," Parker replied.

"Well, do people who go to Heaven come back?" Booth asked.

"We can't see them, but they're here," Parker replied.

"Right, so that's what happened to Mommy and Drew," Booth said.

"So, I won't see Mommy anymore?" Parker asked.

"No, bud, you won't. But you can dream about her and make believe that she's right here next to you," Booth told his son, his heart breaking inside.

"I think I get it," Parker said, nodding his head.

"Yeah? Alright, we can talk about it some more whenever you want, but right now," Booth began as he picked Parker up, "we have a party to go to!"

"Really?!" Parker exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Booth replied.

The two Booth boys left the bathroom and walked to Brennan's office where all of the squints (and Cullen) were waiting to see him. There was a big banner that read, "Welcome Home Parker" hanging above Brennan's desk. Everyone broke out in cheers and Parker made his way straight to the cake in the middle of the room.

Zack and Cam shook hands with Parker.

Angela and Hodgins went to stand next to Parker. Hodgins cut a piece of cake for him.

"Here ya go, Parker. One great big piece of chocolate cake for the man of the hour!" Hodgins exclaimed as he handed Parker a plate of cake.

"What does that mean?" Parker asked Hodgins.

"It's okay, buddy. You don't have to listen to him," Angela broke in. "He doesn't usually know what he's talking about."

Hodgins glared at Angela. "Ha-ha. I wanna talk to the kid, can you let me?" Hodgins asked, poking Angela on the shoulder.

"Yeah yeah," Angela responded as she left the boys.

"So, Parker, what kind of cool stuff do you like to do?" Hodgins asked him, thoroughly interested.

Cullen walked up to Booth. As of 8:30, Booth had filled Cullen in on what was going on.

"Booth, I've already got someone working on trying to find Dr. Brennan," Cullen informed him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you, sir," Booth said, unconvinced that they would find anything else that he hadn't.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am that Parker is home safe and sound. He looks like he's in good spirits," Cullen said, looking over at Parker as Hodgins made a goofy motion with his entire body, which sent Parker into a fit of giggles, chocolate cake spewing from his mouth.

"Yeah, I think we owe that to Dr. Brennan," Booth said as he looked over at his son.

"You're funny, Dr. Hoggins!" Parker exclaimed through a mouthful of chocolate cake.

"Thanks, kid. I'm glad someone thinks so," he said as Angela walked up to them, a mimosa in her hand.

Suddenly, Parker's face turned pale and he threw up chocolate cake all over Hodgins. Hodgins stood there for a moment, not knowing quite what to do. Angela knelt down to Parker and wiped his mouth with napkins. Booth rushed over to his son.

"Hey, buddy, are you alright?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, I just felt sick. I threw up from the rotten egg smell where the man had me, too," Parker said.

Angela had begun wiping Hodgins down with napkins.

"Wait, rotten eggs?" Hodgins asked. He broke away from Angela's cleaning and knelt down next to Booth, looking at Parker. "Parker, did you smell rotten eggs?" he asked.

"I think that's what he just said," Booth said, irritated.

"I know, but…Parker, did you smell the rotten eggs a lot?" Hodgins asked him.

"Yeah, it always smelled like rotten eggs. It was really gross and I threw up," Parker explained.

Hodgins eyes sparkled and a smile spread across his face. He sprang up.

"Angela, you dropped Dr. Brennan off at Jackson and Magnolia, right?" Hodgins asked her.

"Yeah, why?" Angela asked, confused.

"Where is the last letter from 'K'?" Hodgins asked Booth.

"Hodgins, what are you getting at?" Booth asked.

"I just need to see the letter," Hodgins replied.

Booth went to Brennan's desk where everything was spread out. He grabbed "K's" last letter and handed it to Hodgins. Hodgins skimmed it and found what he was looking for.

"What is it?" Angela asked as she gave Parker a sip of water.

Everyone was now grouped in the middle of the room around Hodgins.

"Right here, he says 'just east of the natural gas plant,'" Hodgins explained, expecting everyone to know what he was talking about.

"And your point would be…?" Booth asked, confused and a little irritated.

"Natural gas is made up of methane which, by itself, is odorless. The gas companies add in a rotten egg odor so that people know when there is a leak. It's made up of mercaptan or sulfur," Hodgins explained.

"But what does that mean?" Angela asked.

"It means that if Parker smelled rotten eggs, then there is most likely a leak from the plant and that means that he and Dr. Brennan were being held in the same area," Hodgins replied as he made his way out of his office and onto the platform. He was obviously way ahead of everyone else and they all followed him onto the platform, swiping cards to get access.

He fell into the chair at his computer. In an instant, he had pulled up a map of the plant and the surrounding area.

"There is a shopping center right over here, but that's on the west side and Angela, you were on the east side," Hodgins said as he clicked away on his computer. He pulled up the east side of the plant. "Right here is a neighborhood. And right here…is Jackson and Magnolia," Hodgins said as the streets and houses popped up on the screen.

"Are you saying you can determine the exact house where Dr. Brennan is being held?" Zack asked.

"I don't know about the exact house, but we need to get the gas company on the phone and find out which part of the neighborhood the leak includes," Hodgins said.

"I'm on it," Cam said as she whisked away.

"Now, Parker," Hodgins said as he leaned down in his chair. "This morning when you met Angela on the street corner, do you remember how you got there?" he asked the boy.

"The man made me wear a blindfold and…and I walked to the corner," Parker replied.

"How far did you have to walk, Parker?" Hodgins asked him.

Booth was looking back and forth between Hodgins and his son, listening intently.

"It wasn't that far. It only took a minute," Parker replied.

Booth's eyes went wide and the fog cleared in his brain.

Cam returned to the platform. "The company says that only 10 houses on the left and right of Jackson Street were affected. They are still trying to fix it," Cam explained in a hurry.

"Bingo!" Hodgins exclaimed. "Now, we just need an infrared detector. Director Cullen, can we borrow one?" Hodgins turned to Cullen.

"What do you need it for?" Cullen asked.

"It will be able to detect the natural gas leak as well as body heat," Hodgins explained.

Suddenly, everyone understood…including Cullen. "I'll get it to you within a half an hour," Cullen said as he stepped away and pulled out his cell phone.

Hodgins eyes were wide with exhilaration.

"Alright, we get the infrared and Hodgins and I go to Jackson and Magnolia. Angela, you should come too. You've seen the area," Booth instructed.

"I'd be going even if I hadn't seen the area," Angela said, defiantly.

Booth turned to his son. "Parker, buddy, do you mind staying here with Zack and Cam?" he asked.

"But I wanna be with you," Parker replied.

"Parker, Daddy's going to go get Dr. Bones and bring her home, okay? I'll be right back," Booth explained to his son.

"Dr. Bones is coming?! Okay, go get her, Daddy!" Parker exclaimed as he held his hand up to high five his dad. Booth smiled and gently slapped his son's hand and kissed him on the top of his head.

"It'll be here in 20 minutes," Cullen said as he reappeared. "I've got a team on standby."

"We'll pick it up on the way. Tell them the location and to hold back until my signal. Call an ambulance and have it waiting," Booth said. "Hodgins, Angela, let's go," he said and the three of them left the platform.

Bones, I'm coming


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

"Park here," Hodgins instructed Booth. They were a few streets from Jackson and Magnolia.

Booth looked at Hodgins as if to say "duh." He pulled his SUV over to the curb.

"Sorry, I'm just…nervous," Hodgins explained.

They sat in the car for a moment. "Angela, what do you recognize?" Booth asked her.

Angela looked ahead. "I pulled up right by that yellow house on the right. I let her out there. I didn't see anything. I thought there was supposed to be a van?" Angela asked, confused.

"Yeah, well, he may have lied about that," Booth replied. "Okay, this is what happens. Angela, you stay here. Hodgins, bring that thing and come with me. We will approach from the side and you will tell me what the infrared brings up," Booth instructed.

"Alright," Hodgins replied, grabbing the detector.

"Let's go," Booth said, opening the door.

Hodgins kissed Angela and climbed out of the back seat.

Booth motioned something in "FBI signal" to the team that was holding back. They stayed in their place. Booth and Hodgins ran across the street and walked briskly up to Jackson and Magnolia.

"Anything yet?" Booth asked Hodgins.

"Yeah, but not a lot, which is good. There's activity in the house on the left, definitely a leak there. Also, across the street on Jackson, that house has a leak," Hodgins explained as he looked at the detector.

"What about the body heat?" Booth asked as he grabbed his gun from the holster.

"Uh, both houses have activity. There are…" he squinted at the detector, "…4 distinct thermal readings in the house across the street and 2 in the house on the left," he responded.

"If he is alone with her, then I'd say we go with the house on the left," Booth said, walking forward.

"My thoughts exactly," Hodgins replied.

They made their way around the corner and to the front lawn of the little blue house. The window drapes were drawn and Booth figured nobody could see out. He continued up the front walk and up the steps. He stopped at the front door.

"Give me your wallet," he instructed Hodgins.

"What?" Hodgins asked.

"Mine is in the car, I need your credit card," Booth explained.

"You're going to crack the door with a credit card?" Hodgins asked as he grabbed his wallet and pulled a credit card out.

"Yeah," Booth replied. "It's quiet. We don't want to scare him off."

"Right, I knew that," Hodgins replied.

Booth lowered his gun and pulled out his walkie talkie. "This is Fox1. Request 4 agents at…" he looked for the address, "…24 Jackson Street. Approach with caution and wait for my signal," Booth spoke in to the radio.

"Roger, engaging," a voice responded.

Booth returned his walkie talkie to its case and raised his gun, taking Hodgins' credit card. He turned the knob and wedged the card into the crack of the door. He shifted it back and forth and after 10 seconds or so, the door opened. He handed the card back to Hodgins, who couldn't believe what he had just seen. He thought that was only done in movies.

Booth entered the house with Hodgins right behind him. The main entry was empty and the house was quiet.

"Where are the readings coming from?" Booth whispered to Hodgins.

"Through that hallway and to the right," Hodgins whispered back, pointing ahead.

Booth stood up against the wall and pointed his gun into the hallway, which was clear.

"Second room on the right," Hodgins said.

"Both readings are coming from there?" Booth whispered.

"Yes," Hodgins replied.

As they walked closer to the second door, they heard a man's voice. It was muffled through the walls, but it was fairly distinct. As they approached the door, Booth spoke into his radio, "Fox1, move in, send 911, no response," Booth said as quietly as possible.

He motioned for Hodgins to stand back. He counted to 3 in his head and, gun in hand, he busted through the door.

"FBI! Don't move!" he yelled at the man standing in the middle of the room, his gun in front of him. He had a black mask on.

Booth's eyes traveled to the floor where he saw what he had been fearing to see. Brennan was sitting up against the wall, her hair in her face. He didn't have time to look at her and he focused his attention back to the man.

"Take off the mask," Booth instructed through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.

"Agent Booth. Well, I must say, this is unexpected," the man replied as he raised his hands in the air. He placed one hand on his face and removed the mask. "So nice to see you again, Agent Booth," the man said.

Booth's eyes grew wide with sheer and utter rage, "Hollings. Kevin 'K' Hollings. I thought Kenton killed you," Booth said.

"Well, apparently not," Hollings replied.

"Face down on the bed," Booth instructed as he moved forward.

"Of course, whatever you say, Agent Booth," Hollings replied and did as he was told.

Booth stepped towards Hollings cautiously, glancing over at Brennan as he moved.

"You are under the arrest for the kidnappings of Parker Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan. You have-"

Hollings flew upwards and headbutted Booth with the back of his head. Booth stumbled backwards and Hollings tried to flee. His hand was on the door when the gunshot rang out in the air. Hollings went down, clutching his knee.

"I will paralyze you in an instant if you so much as move a muscle," Booth said as he slammed his gun in Hollings' face. "You sick, twisted, little…creature," Booth said, his eyes sending daggers and his spit flying.

"I'm sure that would please you, Agent Booth. Punishment for me beating and raping Dr. Brennan," Hollings replied, his tone smooth and evil.

Booth slammed his foot into Holling's shot knee, twisting it as Hollings screamed out. Booth's finger was fondling the trigger of his gun and he was sorely tempted to pull it. "You mother fu-"

At that moment, the other 4 agents burst through the door, focusing their attention on Hollings.

Booth hesitated, but holstered his gun and ran to Brennan as one of the agents cuffed Hollings.

Her head and face were bruised and her lip was bleeding. Her right wrist was crooked and even Booth could tell that it was broken.

"Temperance, I'm here. Hey, I'm here," Booth said as he sat down next to her and leaned her head into his shoulder. "Everything's okay. You're okay," Booth said.

Brennan could barely open her eyes, it hurt too much. She moved her head and said, "Parker."

"He's fine. He's safe," Booth said as he kissed Brennan on the top of the head. "You saved him and he saved you."


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

Booth paced the waiting room, unable to sit still. Angela, Hodgins, and Zack were all spread out across the waiting room. Parker was asleep in Angela's lap, his legs hanging over the seat and onto Hodgins.

After another few minutes, a doctor walked through the doors.

"Are you Dr. Temperance Brennan's family?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, that's us," Booth replied, stepping forward to shake hands with the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Ferguson. And you are?" he asked.

"Her fiancé," Booth responded quickly. Angela gave him a look he didn't see.

"She is resting comfortably on a morphine drip for the pain," Dr. Ferguson explained.

"Is she going to be alright?" Booth asked, anxiously.

"Yes, she's going to be fine. She has a broken right wrist and a sprained left ankle. She has multiple contusions and lacerations on her back and arms, but those will heal. She is on a high-powered antibiotic and we'd like to keep her here for the next 3 days. Her blood pressure has been a little erratic, so we'd like to keep an eye on it," Dr. Ferguson replied. His eyes glanced downward and he cleared his throat, leaning in towards Booth. "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but…" Dr. Ferguson hesitated.

Booth braced himself for the words that were about to come out of the doctor's mouth.

"There were signs of sexual assault. We performed a rape exam and…" Dr. Ferguson hesitated again, but Booth already knew the truth. Hollings had told him. "We have tested for everything from pregnancy to HIV and they are all negative. But the DNA won't be in for 48 hours," Dr. Ferguson finished.

Booth took a deep breath, his jaw clenched and his eyes severe. He wanted so badly to dig his fingers into the hole in Holling's knee. "Can we go in and see her?" he finally managed to say.

"Yes, of course. But one at a time would be best. She needs to rest," Dr. Ferguson said, stepping away.

Booth looked to the others.

"Go," Angela said instantly, smiling. She had not heard the news as Dr. Ferguson had spoken barely above a whisper.

Booth darted out of the waiting room.

He opened the door and closed it quietly. He could see that her eyes were closed and he hoped that she was sleeping…she definitely needed it.

"Booth?" Nope, no luck on the sleeping

"Yeah, I'm right here," he replied as he pulled a chair up next to her bed.

Her right hand was in a cast and gauze dressings covered different parts of both arms. Her lip had been stitched up. He took her left hand gently in his own.

She turned her head to him. "I knew you'd find me," she told him, just above a whisper.

"Actually, Parker and Hodgins found you," Booth told her. She looked confused. "I'll tell you later."

"But he's okay?" Brennan asked again.

"Yes, Temperance, he's perfect. He calls you Dr. Bones, huh?" Booth said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, he came up with it," Brennan replied, trying to smile, but grimacing in pain.

"Maybe you shouldn't smile. Even though your smile is beautiful…you're beautiful," Booth said as he gazed into her eyes. Her left eye was almost completely filled with blood.

"I probably look horrific," Brennan said.

"You look beautiful," Booth replied as he reached his hand up and brushed a lock of hair out her face.

"I thought about you…the whole time he was…while I was…there," Brennan sputtered, a tear slipping from her bloodshot eye. "Your smile and your voice and your touch were what got me through it. I just hoped I would see you again," she continued, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"You don't have to say anything, Temperance. You're here and you're going to be fine. And I'm right here and I'm never ever going anywhere," Booth reassured her as he stroked her hand.

"Promise?" she asked him, her eyes pleading.

"I promise," Booth replied.

Brennan sighed and looked into his eyes. "Did they get results from the tests they did?" she asked, hesitantly.

Booth's heart sank. "Yes, they were all negative," he reassured her. "DNA will take 48 hours," he added, glancing down as he gently squeezed her hand.

Brennan closed her eyes, tears spilling out onto her cheeks. She didn't even try to wipe them away. Booth's heart was breaking for the woman he loved. Everything she had been through was just too much and he felt that he was mostly responsible.

"Temperance…I'm so sorry. I-I should have gone to Cullen sooner. You would never have-"

"You know I wouldn't have let you. None of this is your fault," Brennan replied, her eyes piercing as she stared at him through wet tears.

"I'm supposed to protect you. And I failed. I would give my life if it meant that you didn't have to suffer like this," Booth told her, his eyes beginning to drown.

She reached her left hand up to his cheek and stroked it. "You haven't failed me, Booth, there wasn't anything you could do. Like you said, I'm here now…you found me like I knew you would. With a little help from a 5-year old mini-you," Brennan told him, trying a slight smile again.

Booth looked into her eyes, seeing the red and cringing at the thought of what that monster had done to her. After a few moments, a sweet smile spread slightly across his lips. It was not a smile of happiness, but one of love and adoration. "Mini-you, huh? I'm impressed," he told her, thinking of how adorable she could be.

Brennan smiled and then cringed, her brow furrowed. "Ow."

He stroked her hand ever so gently, bowing his head to kiss it. As he kissed, he closed his eyes and he said another prayer of thanks. Brennan did not interrupt him, but she knew what he was doing and she couldn't help but smile. When he was finished, he looked back up at her.

"Will you get in bed with me?" Brennan asked him.

"I don't really think I'm supposed to do that," Booth told her, glancing out of the window at the nurse's station.

"I don't care. You're too far away. I want to feel you next to me," Brennan replied, tears trickling down her cheeks, desperately wanting to be close to him.

Booth smiled at her. "Your wish is my command," he replied. She gently slid over in the bed, shifting from her back to her left side, squeezing her eyes and groaning as she did.

"Are you sure you-" Booth began.

"Shut up and get in bed with me," Brennan replied defiantly.

Booth's eyes widened and he did as he was told, ever so gently. He laid on his right side and faced her. She reached her cast hand around his stomach and rested it there. He slid his left hand up and grasped onto hers. She closed her eyes and kissed his lips, sighing as she did. He kissed her again, sliding his arm underneath her right arm and rubbing her back. As he stroked, he felt a series of lumps that lined her spine.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked her gently.

"No, Booth. You could never hurt me," she replied.

His eyes were glistening with tears. She was hurt and all he wanted to do was take all of her pain away. He wished he was the one who was hurting…he would take all of it so that his Bones didn't have to hurt.

"You are the most amazing woman in the world, do you know that?" Booth told her, his eyes staring intently into hers.

Brennan smiled through wet eyes. "I love you."

He kissed her on the nose. "Not as much as I love you," he replied, soothingly.

She nuzzled in closer to him, her head underneath his chin. He continued to stroke her back and her hair and before long, he could hear a soft snore coming from her mouth. Seeley Booth had never been more relieved in his entire life.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Parker burst through Brennan's hospital room door.

"Dr. Bones!" he exclaimed as he ran towards the bed.

Booth ran in behind him. "Easy, buddy! Don't jump on her!"

Parker stopped short of the bed. "Daddy said you're getting out of the hopstal today," Parker said to Brennan, jumping up and down.

"That's right, I'm going home," Brennan said to him.

"He couldn't wait to see you. We came straight here from…" Booth didn't finish the sentence. He was dressed in a suit and black tie and Parker had a collared shirt and a pair of slacks on.

Brennan nodded.

"When can we go get Rufus, Dr. Bones?" Parker asked, excitedly.

"I think we need to give Dr. Bones a little time to get better before we get Rufus," Booth told his son.

"It's okay. We can go get him in a couple of days. How does that sound?" Brennan asked the Mexican jumping bean in front of her.

"Yay!" Parker exclaimed.

"Are you sure you're going to be up for it?" Booth asked, concerned.

"I think I'll be okay," Brennan replied, smiling up at him from her bed. "How was the funeral? That was a stupid question," Brennan caught herself.

"It's okay, Bones. It was really nice. Rebecca's parents were really grateful that I pulled it together since they couldn't afford it," Booth explained. "That's probably the first time they've ever complimented me on something."

Brennan smiled. "I'm glad."

"I played with Mommy this morning before the foonal. She told me not to be sad, so I wasn't," Parker chimed in, still jumping from one foot to the other.

"That must have been fun, huh?" Brennan asked him.

"It was. Mommy and I play a lot," Parker replied.

Brennan smiled at Booth. She knew that Booth had told Parker that his mom had gone to Heaven; he didn't even need to tell her that.

"So, you ready to get out of here?" Booth asked.

"They're supposed to discharge me within the hour," Brennan replied, wincing as she shifted her weight to her right hand by accident.

"Are you alright, Dr. Bones?" Parker asked, concerned.

"Yes, Parker. My hand just hurts," Brennan replied.

"Like mine did?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, kinda," Brennan replied.

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" Parker asked, his eyes wide, smiling.

Booth's heart melted. His little boy wanted to kiss his girlfriend's "boo-boo."

"I think that would definitely help," Brennan said as she brought her right hand over to Parker.

He leaned over the bed and kissed her fingers. "Did that work?" he asked through tufts of blonde ringlets.

"Wow, you know what? It did!" Brennan replied, smiling brightly at Parker.

"I'm glad I could help," he replied, ever so maturely.

"Thank you, Dr. Parker," Brennan said.

"Cool! I can be a doctor like you?" Parker replied, beaming from ear to ear.

"Absolutely," Brennan replied.

"Did ya hear that, Daddy? I'm a doctor just like Dr. Bones!" he exclaimed to his father.

"I did hear that, bud. Dr. Parker and Dr. Bones…a perfect pair," Booth said as he smiled at Brennan, who returned the grin.

"What about you, Daddy? Don't you wanna be a doctor, too?" Parker asked his father.

"Well, of course," Booth replied.

"Dr. Daddy…I like that," Brennan said, grinning sarcastically at Booth, who smiled back, ecstatic that his son and his Bones were safe and sound.

"Are you ready to go get Rufus?" Brennan asked Parker.

"Yeah!" Parker replied, jumping up and down.

Booth and Parker had stayed at Brennan's apartment for the past few days. She had turned her guest room into a makeshift Spiderman shrine. Parker had brought his Spiderman sleeping bag, Spiderman pillow, Spiderman pajamas, Spiderman shoes, Spiderman poster, Spiderman web-throwing toy. Brennan thought it was quite adorable.

"Calm down, bud," Booth said, appearing in the living room.

"It's okay. He has every right to be excited, right Parker?" Brennan asked the head bobbing up and down.

"Way excited!" he responded. "Can we go?"

"Yup, here we go!" Booth said as he reached down and grabbed Parker by the stomach, raising him into the air above his head. Parker fell into a fit of giggles as his dad helped him fly through the door and into the hallway.

Brennan laughed and followed closely behind.

They walked through the doors of the D.C. Humane Society. At first, they were greeted by a sign that read "Kitty Korner," which was lined with cages of cats…and even more cats. This seemed to upset Parker.

"Where are the puppies?" Parker asked, holding his dad's hand.

"We're almost there," Booth replied.

They rounded a corner and just ahead, a sign read "Barkville Road," indicating that the dogs were ahead.

"Are we there?" Parker asked, looking up at his dad.

"Almost," Booth replied. They reached the sign and turned to the cages of dogs. "And we're here."

"Okay, Parker, start looking for Rufus," Brennan told him.

Parker looked through the glass at the barking dogs. They finished one row of dogs and turned a corner to look at the next row.

"Where are the puppies?" Parker asked…no, whined.

"We'll get there, bud. I think they're just down here a little ways," Booth told his son.

Parker continued to look at the dogs, but they were all too big. He wanted a little puppy. As he walked, he reached up and grabbed Brennan's good hand, his eyes still glued to the cages. Brennan was slightly taken aback, but took his little hand in hers. She looked to Booth, who was gazing admiringly at her. The three of them walked down the second row and turned the corner for the third row. Parker's eyes lit up and he dropped both of their hands and ran forward.

He had found the puppies. He sat down in front of the glass, looking at 4 puppies. Two were golden retrievers and were playing together. Parker tapped on the glass, grinning from ear to ear. Two of the other puppies looked like mutts and one was sprawled out on its back, rolling from side to side. The other puppy was pawing at the glass and whining. He was a mocha color and looked like he was part Cocker Spaniel; his ears were long and floppy. Parker focused his attention on the pawing puppy. He touched the glass and the puppy's eyes followed his finger, which made Parker laugh.

Booth and Brennan watched him, looking at each other and smiling.

"So, what do you think?" Brennan asked Parker.

"I want this one!" Parker said, looking to them and pointing at the Cocker Spaniel type puppy.

"Booth, I think we've found our Rufus," Brennan said, triumphantly.

"Yup, looks like it," Booth responded as he walked off to find an employee.

Brennan knelt down next to Parker.

"He's really cute, Parker. I think he likes you already," Brennan said to him, smiling.

"Really? You do?!" Parker said, not taking his eyes off of Rufus.

"Yup, definitely," Brennan said and she ruffled his hair, smiling. She couldn't definitely get used to being around Parker more.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

After a full day of tossing a furry hedgehog squeaky toy around, playing with Rufus in the park, getting rocky road ice cream, and then ordering takeout (the ice cream had come first, meaning that Parker did not eat much of his dinner), Parker was sprawled out across Brennan's couch, fast asleep. Rufus was curled up at his feet. Brennan and Booth finished their Wung Foo's on the kitchen counter.

"He had an absolute blast today," Booth told her.

"I'm glad. It's good to see him doing so well. It's almost like it never happened," Brennan said, sticking her chopsticks into the Kung Pao Chicken. Her eyes glanced away.

Booth saw the change in her expression. "For him," Booth replied, looking intently at Brennan.

Brennan looked back at him. "I'll be alright, Booth. You're here, so I know I'll be okay," she told him.

He put a hand on her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her lip was healing nicely and the bruises on her forehead and cheek were a shade lighter than they had been a few days earlier.

"You know, there are…therapy groups for…" his voice trailed off as he couldn't bear to utter the words, "…what you went through."

"What good would that do? Sit around and cry to strangers about my experience being raped?" Brennan blurted out rather harshly, a crack in her voice and a tear in her eye.

"Temperance, I only meant-" Booth began.

"You don't have to fix me, Booth, I'm not broken," Brennan interrupted, a hot tear streaming down her cheek.

"Daddy?" Parker interrupted them. He stood in front of them, rubbing his eyes. Rufus sat next to him on the floor, tugging at Parker's Spiderman pajama pants with his teeth.

"You ready to go bed, bud?" Booth turned his attention to his yawning child, still worried about his Bones.

"Yeah," he replied through another yawn. "Can Rufus sleep with me?" he asked.

"You should ask Dr. Bones that, it's her house," Booth replied.

"Dr. Bones, can Rufus sleep with me?" Parker asked her.

Brennan wiped the tear away and managed a smile. "Of course he can," she replied.

"Okay," Parker said.

Booth got up from the barstool and walked to his son. "Alright, let's get your teeth brushed," Booth said.

"Nooo," Parker whined.

"Aw, Booth. Let him skip it tonight," Brennan said, seeing how exhausted he was.

"I guess so. Okay, then straight to bed," Booth said as he reached down to pick Parker up.

"Wait," Parker said as he walked towards Brennan, who was still sitting on the barstool. "Dr. Bones?" he asked.

"Yes, Parker," Brennan replied as she got off the barstool and knelt down to him, wincing slightly.

He stepped forward and gave her a big, but very gentle, hug. She returned it and squeezed him as much as she could in her condition.

"Thank you for getting me Rufus. You're so nice…and pretty," Parker told Brennan.

Booth's heart melted again as his son gave Brennan another gentle hug.

Brennan closed her eyes as she hugged Parker. "You're welcome, Parker," Brennan smiled at him and ruffled his hair again. He had a great head of hair that just screamed to be ruffled.

"Good night, Dr. Bones," Parker said, smiling.

"Good night, Dr. Parker," she told him as she stood up shakily.

Booth grabbed the sleepy child and headed to his room, Rufus trailing right behind.

Brennan watched them go and got up to start clearing the remnants of their dinner. Since she couldn't really hold anything and scrape food at the same time, she decided to stuff all of the takeout cartons into the refrigerator.

Booth reappeared within a matter of minutes.

"He's out," Booth said, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"He's had a long day," Brennan remarked as she finished wiping off the counter.

"You didn't need to clean up, I would have done it," Booth told her.

"It's okay, Booth. I can take care of myself," she said, a little defensively.

"I didn't mean that…I just wanted to help," Booth responded.

"I know," Brennan replied, regretting what she had just said. "I'm sorry. I-I mean, I'm sorry about what I said before. I know you only want to help. I just…I can't imagine sitting in one of those groups and talking about…" Brennan's voice trailed off and the tears returned.

"I just want what's best for you. I don't want you to hurt, Temperance," Booth replied as he reached forward and squeezed her shoulder. A fraction of a second later, Brennan collapsed into his arms, holding him tight. She cried into his chest as he stroked the back of her head and held her close.

Brennan raised her head and gazed into his eyes. "I love you, Booth." He bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. She closed her eyes and fell into his kiss, sighing as his warm lips met hers. As they pulled out of the kiss, Booth smiled as he gazed at her.

"What?" she asked.

"So, I was thinking you should wait a month before going back to work," Booth told her.

"Booth, two weeks off is long enough. I'm going to be fine," Brennan said in her Brennan way.

"Are you sure?" Booth asked.

"Are you really asking me that question?" Brennan retorted.

Of course he knew that Bones would want to get back to work as soon as possible. But he had other plans.

"Well, I was thinking. You know how we were talking about a vacation? Well, I think right now would be the perfect time. Just you and me and we can take Parker or he can stay with my parents," Booth said, smiling.

"Booth, I don't have time to take off work," Brennan used the only thing she could think of.

"Are you trying to campaign for 'Anthropologist of the Year?' You have been through a major trauma and you shouldn't have to worry about work. You have plenty of time. I guarantee you that Cam will give you the time off," Booth argued, extremely rationally.

Brennan opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She finally sighed. "Okay, you win. Where are we going?" she surrendered.

"Anywhere you want…just not someplace…hot, please?" Booth asked, reminded of the sweltering 115 degree temperatures.

Brennan smirked. "Why don't we ask Parker where he would like to go?" she suggested.

Booth smiled. "You know he absolutely adores you," Booth told her, leaning in closer.

"Really?" Brennan replied, gazing into his eyes.

"Yeah, just like his Daddy," he replied, a sweet smile on his face. He leaned forward and kissed her again on the lips. She closed her eyes and sighed once more.

"Are you ready for bed, Dr. Daddy?" Brennan asked him, a smile on her face.

"Not quite, Dr. Brennan. I have a little something for you," Booth said as he grabbed her left hand and led her to the sofa. "Here, sit down," he said as he sat next to her.

"Booth, what are you doing?" she asked him, eyebrows raised.

"You'll see. Now, close your eyes," Booth said, smiling widely.

"Booth, are you kidding?" Brennan protested.

"Close 'em or you don't get your surprise…or any bedtime fun," Booth threatened, a mischievous grin now on his face.

She closed her eyes. "It's not another pig, is it?" she asked him, smirking.

"Ha-ha. No, I think Jasper and Jezebelle are doing fine," Booth replied. He looked at her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, red box. He opened it. "Okay, open your eyes."

Brennan opened her eyes and they immediately fell on the object in Booth's hand. Her jaw dropped and she looked at him. "Booth, I-"

"Just hear me out, okay? I know you don't believe in marriage. I know you think it's an archaic institution and that you don't need a piece of paper to prove your commitment," Booth began, still clutching the box in his hand. "So, I don't expect you to answer right now. I just…want you to think about it. You know, it might not be all that bad," he said, grinning. "You don't even have to think of it as a marriage…but a partnership. Which I think we already have a pretty good start on," Booth said, smiling sweetly at her. She smiled back. "Temperance, I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know it might be a little intimidating now that you would also be a mother right away, I know you've never wanted kids. And I understand that, and-"

Brennan placed her hand over his mouth. She tilted her head to one side and a smile crept across her lips. She gazed into his eyes…those beautiful brown eyes that reached into her heart and soul. Her smile widened and her blue eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth to speak…


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

"Yes," Brennan replied softly, a bright smile illuminating her face.

Booth wasn't quite sure he had heard correctly. "What?" he asked her.

"Yes, Booth," she said, smiling even bigger.

A smile of happy disbelief spread across his face. "Really? You're saying yes?" Booth wanted to be absolutely positive that Temperance Brennan had just agreed to get married…to HIM.

"How many times do I have to say 'yes?' Of course, technically, you haven't even asked me a question," she replied, giving him the opportunity to do what she knew he wanted to do.

Booth smiled sweetly at her. He slowly slid off of the sofa and onto the floor, resting on his right knee and bending his left. He held up the little red box and looked into Brennan's eyes. She smiled softly down at him.

"Temperance Brennan…will you marry me?" Booth asked, his heart racing.

"Yes, Seeley Booth, I will," she responded. It came so naturally to speak the words, to agree to marry the love of her life…even though she never imagined she would ever be in this situation. But this was Booth…he was different. He changed her world and she was a different person because of him.

Booth's face lit up as he took the ring from the box and sat on the sofa next to her. He took her left hand and slid the diamond ring onto her ring finger. "How does that feel?" he asked her.

"It fits perfectly," Brennan said as she held her hand out and gazed at the ring. It was platinum and the diamond looked to be about 1 karat. On either side of the larger diamond were 2 diamond baguettes. The diamond sparkled as she wiggled her fingers.

"The diamond was my grandmother's. I picked out the setting," Booth said, not taking his eyes off of her.

"It's absolutely beautiful, Booth," she told him, looking from the ring to him.

"You're absolutely beautiful, Temperance," he said as he took her left hand in his, running his fingers across the ring. "I must say, I honestly wasn't expecting an answer yet."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, you know how you are, Bones. I thought you might need some time to take it all in and get used to it," Booth explained, stroking her hand.

"Usually, you'd be right. But, I never thought I'd ever feel this way about anyone. The past couple of weeks have-"

"Been a rollercoaster ride," Booth finished her sentence.

A look of confusion blanketed her face. "Rollercoaster? I don't know what that means," she replied.

Booth smiled and laughed softly. "It means that there's been a wide range of emotions," he explained to her.

"Right, exactly. It's been up and down and-" she stopped herself and a look of comprehension popped onto her face, "Just like a rollercoaster. I get it," she smiled, very proud of herself. Booth thought it was adorable and let her continue. "These past couple of weeks have been the most wonderful time in my life…and the most horrific," she said as she glanced down for a moment. She brought her eyes back to his. "But now I realize how much I care for you. You are always there for me and I know that you always will be. I took it for granted before, but now…" she paused, trying to think of the right words to describe how she felt. "You have made me a better person. And I love you for that," she said, tears trickling down her cheeks. "No one has ever treated me the way you do or respected me the way you do. You put up with me when I'm insensitive and you listen to all of my ridiculous logic and rationale."

"Isn't 'ridiculous logic' technically an oxymoron?" Booth asked her, grinning widely.

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is. See, that's what you do to me…and I like it," she said, smiling through her tears.

Booth smiled and wiped the tears with his thumb. "So, no more 'archaic institution,' huh?" he said.

"No, I still believe that. But it's like you said…it's a partnership. And if you need to sign a piece of paper and I need to wear a white dress to celebrate our partnership, then I guess I'm okay with that," she replied. "As long as there's plenty of Marilyn Merlot," she added, smirking.

"But of course," Booth replied. "So, you want to do the whole she-bang then? White dress, tux, flowers, cake," he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"It'll be fun," Brennan said.

"Yeah, and Angela should have a blast planning the whole thing," Booth added.

"And Parker can be the ringbearer," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

Booth gazed at her in admiration. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, you know…to be a mother, too."

"Booth, I love Parker. That will never change. And who knows?" she replied, leaning in closer towards Booth with a mischievious smile on her face. "We might even want to give him a half-sibling," she replied, smiling and then quickly glancing away playfully.

Booth's smile widened. "Who are you and what have you done with my Bones?" he asked.

She laughed. "Like I said in Phoenix…some things change."

He ran his fingers back and forth across her hand and the ring, still unable to believe she was actually wearing it.

"I'm sure glad they do," he said, gazing dreamily into her eyes. Neither of them moved as their eyes read one another's souls. Booth didn't want this moment to ever end…and neither did Brennan. After a long while, Booth leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, a wide smile on his face. A split second later, he leaned down and gently scooped her up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Brennan asked as she was quite literally swept off her feet.

"Practicing," Booth replied, his smile softening.

She gazed at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're a good practicer," she replied, smirking.

"That's not even a word, 'Miss 180 IQ,'" Booth informed her.

"182. Now, can you carry me to bed, please?" Brennan replied, tilting her head to the side, her eyes wide with mischief.

He kissed her fiercely on the lips and growled, whisking her away to the bedroom and closing the door behind them.

**THE END**

**P.S. Stay tuned for the sequel, "Weddings Of The Year." First chapter will be posted tomorrow!**


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